


If I Had a Second Chance to Do it Right

by signpainter1



Category: No. 6 (Anime & Manga), No. 6 - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Dreams, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Memory Loss, Reincarnation, Romance, myth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 43,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24859213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/signpainter1/pseuds/signpainter1
Summary: It started with an old myth Nezumi knew:."Once upon a time the Earth God created a garden and creatures called Gardeners. One day the Thief God broke into the garden and stole away one of the Gardeners. While trying to escape the two of them ended up killing each other.".Unfortunately, Nezumi is the reincarnation of the Thief God and Sion is the reincarnation of the Gardener. Both of their memories are slowly returning. What will happen when they remember their past? What really happened back then? Will their story repeated itself and end in tragedy or will Nezumi and Sion find a way past their fates?"History is written by the victors."-Winston Churchill
Relationships: Nezumi/Shion (No. 6)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 26





	1. Strange Dreams/ An Unexpected meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Here's a new story. I hope you enjoy this one. Like all my stories it's not beta read. Feel free to comment any mistakes that bother you.
> 
> Anyways on to the story!

Nezumi only had few memories of his home before No. 6 came and destroyed everything. Most of these were vague and blurry. The only memory that he could still comprehend was a myth he heard as a child.

_“Once there was a garden that belonged to the Earth God which contained the most delicious fruit. The Earth God was protective of his garden and few were allowed to enter. He created creatures called Gardeners to tended it. Their souls were bound to the garden itself._

Nezumi couldn’t remember who told the story. He knew it was an old woman, perhaps his grandmother? He wasn’t sure. Nezumi wished he could remember his family. The years fighting for survival wiped them clean from his memory leaving only the stupid story behind.

_“Everything was peaceful until one day the greedy Thief God decided to steal from the garden. He slunk in and saw one of the Gardeners. Instantly he decided he wanted him. The Thief God took a seed from the garden’s heart and put it in a crystal. He used it to bind the gardener’s soul and snatched the poor creatures away.”_

Nezumi didn’t remember how he felt about the story as a kid but as a young adult, he sympathized with the Gardener. His home was burnt, and he was taken far away to No. 6.

_“The Gardener stayed a prisoner for many years until he found a way to escape and returned home. The other Gardeners rejoiced but the Earth God told him, to truly be free, he would have to slay the Thief God. The Gardener took a knife and returned to his captive. That night the Gardener struck down the Thief God. While he was dying, the Thief God took the crystal and smashed it.”_

For some reason, this part confused Nezumi as a child. He always wondered why the Thief God broke the crystal. It was extremely obvious to him as an adult that he did it out of anger, but for some reason it still bothered him.

_“Instantly the seed became a tree._ _The_ _Gardener was too far away so his soul could not return home. He died and his soul got tangled up along with the Thief God’s soul in the tree’s leaves. To this day the tree stands with the two souls inside.”_

And that was where the story ended. No happy ending. No moral or explanation. Just some guy who got extremely unlucky and couldn’t escape from his fate. Perhaps that’s why Nezumi remembered it after all these years. The unhappy ending reflected real life all too well. Life wasn’t fair. Sometimes no matter how much you fought you couldn’t escape.

\---

_“No! Why the hell did you do break it! Why? Tell me why….you could have been free….”_

_A voice rang out loud and clear through Nezumi’s mind while blurry images danced in front of him. He was reaching out to someone as they collapse. He couldn’t save them. They were dying. His world was becoming colder and colder…._

Nezumi sat up gasping for air. In his half sleepy haze, he couldn’t remember where he was. His mind went on high alert as he surveyed the room. Nezumi knew he wasn’t in his home in the West District. Where was he? How did he get here? Nezumi reached down to his pocket for a knife and instead felt someone’s hands around his waist. He looked down in alarm and found Sion hugging him fast asleep. Nezumi blinked a few times as his mind caught up to the present.

He was in the new No.6 with Sion. He was safe.

Nezumi relaxed and placed a hand gently on his boyfriend’s head. Sion muttered something that sounded like “marigold” and pressed his face against Nezumi’s lower back. The dark-haired man allowed himself a small smile as he looked down at Sion. At age 20 Sion had finally lost some of his young features. His soft face was more angler and he had grown an inch or so. Of course, he was still shorter than Nezumi, something the latter was always pointing out to Sion’s annoyance. When Nezumi had returned a year and a half ago he was shocked to see how Sion had changed. It wasn’t just his features. The white haired man held himself in a confident way and spoke in an official manner. Nezumi had worried that Sion had changed beyond recognition. His worries proved necessary. The second Sion’s ruby eyes made contact with Nezumi’s gray ones; Sion lit up like a Christmas tree. He had bounded towards Nezumi and flung his arms around him. Sion’s childlike curiosity and excitement still remained and Nezumi was thankful for that. He never thought there would come a day when he was glad that Sion was still a sap.

Sion muttered something else unintelligible and rolled of Nezumi. He watched his boyfriend sprawl across their bed before finally getting up. To his annoyance he found his legs were shaking slightly still. That strange dream had hit him hard. It felt like it was telling him something, something he already knew. Nezumi had no idea what that was, and it was irritating. Although he didn’t know why, the dark-haired man knew that the dream had to do with that stupid myth. Almost all his dreams were about it these days. This wasn’t the first time he had been violently been woken up. They had started a little after he had returned to Sion. Back then he got one at least once a week. Over time however these dreams became more frequent until he had them almost every night. It was getting exhausting.

Nezumi took a steadying breath and used it to calm down. Once his legs were stable Nezumi quietly opened his draws and fished out some clothes. He was in the middle of changing when Sion groaned from their bed and opened his eyes.

“Nezumi?” he stared bleary eyed at his boyfriend.

“Did I wake you?” Nezumi finished changing and looked up at Sion.

“Did you have another strange dream!” Sion yawned loudly.

“Yeah.” It was quite for a moment as Nezumi finished around the closet for his coat.

“Can you tell me what they’re about?” Sion finally asked.

“Not tonight.” Nezumi found his coat and pulled it out. Behind him Sion gave a little sigh. He knew his boyfriend wanted to know about the dreams but the dark-haired man didn’t know how he would even explain it.

“You know I had a strange dream too.” Sion finally said. Nezumi looked over at him in surprise.

“Did you want to talk about it?” Sion hesitated. He seemed like he wanted to say something. After a moment he hugged his pillow and shook his head.

“I wouldn’t even know where to start.” He mumbled. Nezumi hummed sympathetically.

“Can’t I come with you?” Sion stared at Nezumi with those huge puppy eyes. Nezumi blinked again taken aback.

“Did the dream bother you that much?”

“Not really.” Sion bit his lip. “It was kind of weird but its already fading. I just wanted to go for a walk with you.” Nezumi thought it over for a second and then shook his head.

“I really just want to be alone, besides.” He eyed Sion. “Last time we went on a late-night walk you fell asleep halfway through it. I had to carry you back.”

“I was tired!” Sion’s face turned red and he crossed his arms. “I’m busy you know! No. 6 isn’t going to fix itself.”

“Exactly why I’m going alone.” Sion pouted angrily. Nezumi forced himself to keep a straight face. Sion would win the argument in a heartbeat if he knew Nezumi found him adorable. Thanks to years of practice however Nezumi had mastered the art of hiding his true feelings. After a few seconds Sion uncrossed his arms.

“Fine, but be back before morning, ok?” Sion looked down at his hands. “I worry about you.” Nezumi walked over and kissed him on the forehead.

“I’ll be there before you wake.” He promised. Sion smiled and snuggled back into his blankets.

Nezumi slipped out of the house and melted into the shadows. He walked slowly through the new No.6. Now that Nezumi was outside he didn’t know what to do with himself. Did he just want to wander around? Maybe he should have taken Sion up on his offer. It might have been nice to walk with him. Nezumi thought for a moment. Perhaps he would go bother Dog Keeper. She was sometimes up at this hour. She wouldn’t be happy if he showed up unannounced which could be amusing. Nezumi smirked and was about to walk towards Dog Keeper’s place when he remembered that she was at Karen’s. Dog Keep had gotten a bad fever and Karen offered to take care of her. If it were anyone else Dog Keeper would have resisted but she had a weakness for Sion and his mom.

_“Don’t we all?”_ A small voice in his head asked. Nezumi pushed it down and sped up. He wouldn’t bother Karen at this hour. She was a kind woman and he wasn’t going to repay her kindness like that.

Nezumi continued to wander through No.6 with no destination in mind. Although he was used to wandering and usually enjoyed it, it didn’t distract from his swirling thoughts. His mind kept on replying the blurry images as if it was trying to get them into focus. He was on the brink of understanding something big, but the pieces refused to fall into place….

Before Nezumi knew it, he was outside of No.6 He stopped and looked back over at the horizon. To his surprise he saw that the first rays of light were peering over the horizon. Nezumi silently swore to himself. He had been gone too long. Sion got up early to help his mom with the bakery before heading to work. Nezumi needed to get back before Sion woke. He was not going to break a promise to him, even a little one. A small part of Sion still believed that Nezumi was going to leave him again. The dark-haired man did everything in his power to make that fear go away

Nezumi was about to turn around when he suddenly became aware of someone nearby. He spun on his heals and pulled out a knife to face the intruder.

“Hello there, wander.” An old man wobbled out of the shadows. “What brings you here?” Nezumi lowered his knife slightly but stayed alert. The man looked feeble, but looks were always deceiving.

“Who are you?”

“Just an old storyteller.” The man lowered himself onto a bolder with a groan. “But I’m not very interesting. You on the other hand…” he peered at Nezumi. “After all this time, how did you get free?”

Nezumi narrowed his eyes. What did this man know about his past?

“No. 6 had more holes in it then they would admit.” Nezumi said vaguely forcing his face into a neutral expression. He wasn’t going to explain how he escaped to a stranger. Only idiots and Sion would do that. To his surprise the man frowned and shook his head.

“No, no not from No. 6.”

Nezumi paused. If he didn’t mean from No.6…

“Then are you talking about the fires?”

“I’m not sure what you mean. Did it happen before you were born?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Nezumi was losing his patients. This man was clearly crazy and Nezumi needed to get home to his boyfriend. The old man peered into his eyes again.

“Could it be that you don’t remember?.” His voice sounded sad. “I live to see the Thief God return to the world but without his memories.”

At his words, all the pieces from Nezumi’s dream clicked into place . Without understanding why he knew the man was right. He knew that he was the Thief God. A shiver ran down his spine as a growing sense of dread filled him. Before the man could react Nezumi was on top of him, his knife pressed against the man’s neck.

“Who are you?”

“J-Just a storyteller.” The man sounded frightened.

“How does a storyteller know what the Thief God looked like?”

“I’ve been to many places.” The man quickly said his eyes on the knife. “I’ve heard many different versions of the story. But all of them have the same description. You fit it perfectly.” Nezumi paused then pushed the man back. The man fell to the ground with a cry of alarm. Nezumi ignored him. He was trying to remember the Thief God’s described. The story was too faint in his mind.

Nezumi clenched his fists as he turned and walked away. His mind was running wild. He didn’t want to think of the ramifications of being the Thief God. He had never been on the side of “good”, but he prided himself to be different than No. 6. In his mind the Thief God represented No.6 and all its greed and ugliness. He kidnaped a Gardner out of greed. He kept him away from his home and then killed him. No. 6 was the same. They took what they wanted and destroyed anything that got in their way.

Nezumi sped up. He wanted to get home quickly. The outside world was to open. He was vulnerable out here. He needed to go back somewhere to think this over. Hopefully Sion wouldn’t notice how shaken he was. At the thought of Sion Nezumi suddenly remembered why he was out walking in the first place. It was because of those stupid dreams. Now that he knew the truth, he realized they were memories. They were him as the Thief God…and they were getting stronger.

Nezumi paused outside the house. Was the Gardener reborn into this world as well? Was he getting his memories back? Would he come after Nezumi for revenge? What would happen to Sion once the Gardener realized he was involved with Nezumi? What would happen to Nezumi once all his memories returned? Would he become the Thief God once again? That thought disturbed him more then he wanted to admit.

Inside the house the sound of an alarm going off brought Nezumi back to his senses. He forced himself to calm down. There was no reason for Sion to worry over him. He would go inside and act as if everything was normal. This was his problem, not Sion’s. He would deal with it himself. With one more calming breath Nezumi pushed open the front door and entered the house.

.

.

_A long time ago in a world forgotten by all…._

If there was one thing Nezumi hated it was being looked down upon. Unlike many of the other Gods and Goddess, Nezumi wasn’t born a God. He had worked his way up, scraping and clawing like the rat he was. The dark-haired man wasn’t interested in the title, power, or other luxuries the came with Godhood. As the Thief God he didn’t have any land or temples. The thing that appalled to him was the absolute control he had over his own life. Gods relied on no one. They were the high powers that got to decided everything. Nezumi was not going to give anyone else control over his life. That was why when the Earth God threatened his position Nezumi knew he had to act. The Earth God was greatly respected and if Nezumi didn’t take him down a couple of pegs, the other gods were going to side with him. There was only one way to bring that man down; break into his precious secret garden. If he did that, the God’s status of untouchability would be questioned, and he would back off from Nezumi.

That was why, two months later Nezumi found himself tromping through the underground tunnels that led into the garden of paradise. It wasn’t easy but it was worth it. The garden was a beautiful place, with tall trees of vivid green and long grass that blew gently in the wind. There was a pond in the middle that had fishes of all sorts of color and sizes. Over the water, a small wooden bridge protruded. The pathways that winded through the trees were made out of smooth coble stone and there were lanterns on either side of the path that held floating fairy lights.

Truthfully, Nezumi thought as he lounged in one of the garden’s apple trees, he should have broken in here sooner. He finished the fruit he was eating and tossed it into a nearby bush. A squirrel rushed out of it chattering. Other than that and a few birds taking flight, the only other sounds that broke the peaceful stillness was the Gardeners who would hurried by carrying baskets of ripe fruit. They were strange-looking creatures that Nezumi hadn’t seen the likes of before. They had startling white hair and red eyes. Nezumi could see a snake-like ribbon protruding from underneath their tunics. The red ribbon was the symbol of the Earth God. Nezumi has seen it before on banners and the Earth God’s temples but never on a living creature. The wind blew softly as Nezumi picked another fruit and began eating it. They tasted utterly amazing. Better than anything he had before. Each fruit had its own unique taste that didn’t match anything from the outside world. Nezumi was going to take some of the fruit and sell them on the black market. That would cause problems for the Earth God and get him off the dark-haired man’s back. As Nezumi enjoying the silent tranquility of the garden he noticed the sky was darkening with storm clouds. This put a damper on his mood. As fun as this trip was, he would have to leave soon. He didn’t want to get soaked. Sneaking in was hard enough when he was dry.

“Hurry up!”

Nezumi glanced down as a small group of Gardeners rushed down the path carrying baskets of fruit. There was about six of them. Nezumi guessed they were trying to finish their work before the rain.

“Hey wait up!”

The last Gardener was having trouble keeping up with the rest. He stumbled behind them before falling face down on the path underneath Nezumi’s tree. He landed with a soft small ‘oof’ and the fruit went flying everywhere. Nezumi snorted softly. The sound of the other Gardener’s footsteps faded, and the remaining Gardener sighed and sat up. He brushed off his tunic and gloomily looked over to where his companions had run off. After a few seconds he began picking up the fruit. Nezumi watched him debating what to do. If he left now the Gardener might notice him, but if he waited to long it would start raining. The Gardner seemed to be taking his sweet time picking up the fruits. Nezumi shifted in the branch and a fruit under him shook. To his horror it came loose and fell, hitting the Gardner on the head. The Gardener gave a cry of surprise and fell back again. Nezumi froze, silently cursing. He wasn’t too worried about fighting Gardeners. He could take them out if needed. The problem was if a Gardener died the Earth God would sense it. Once the Earth God knew Nezumi was here it would cause problems. The gardener rubbed his head gingerly and looked up to see where the fruit had fallen from. His ruby eyes met Nezumi’s dark ones. It was quiet for a moment.

“Who are you?” The Gardner didn’t sound frightened. Nezumi considered him for a moment. 

“I’m a visitor.” The dark-haired man lied.

“We aren’t going to have any visitors until next week.” The Gardener looked thoughtful “I think you’re in intruder.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Nezumi reached behind his belt and took hold of his knife.

“How did you get in here? It’s supposed to be impossible.” He peered up at Nezumi. “You have grey eyes. Do all outsides have gray eyes? The ones that come to visit wear veils in order not to disrupt the garden. I’ve never seen their faces before. Your clothes are strange too. Not as fancy as our guests. We don’t get many guests and I’m not allowed to get close to them or talk to them.” He stepped forward until he was right under the tree. “What’s your name? Where do you come from?” Nezumi paused, his hand still on his knife. The Gardener’s reaction was unexpected. He didn’t know what to make of his curiosity. Nezumi narrowed his eyes, making sure his surprised didn’t show on his face.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little careless?” he asked. “I could kill you right now.” The Gardener blinked up at him in surprise as if he hadn’t even thought of that.

“Why?” he finally asked.

“Because you’ll report me to the guards,” Nezumi said. The gardener considered this.

“I suppose I should….” He petered off thoughtfully. Nezumi’s hand tightened on his knife again. If the Gardener made any sudden movement, he would kill him. After a minute, the Gardener looked up again,

“How about this. For each fruit you took you need to tell me one thing about the outside world. That way you aren’t technically stealing. I see the Earth God do the same thing with his visitors. He calls it trading.” The Gardener looked incredibly pleased with himself.

Nezumi stared at the creature before him trying to make sense of him.

“Are all Gardeners as crazy as you?”

“Probably not. Marigold or Lily would call the guards in a heartbeat. It’s our duty after to protect our garden from intruders after all.” The gardener paused guiltily. “I really should call the guards…. But this could be my only chance to learn about the outside world. I really want to know what’s out there.” He stared pleadingly at Nezumi. The dark-haired man thought it over. As far as deals went this one wasn’t bad. It didn’t cost him anything and there was really no downside to it.

“Sure.” Nezumi smirked releasing his knife. “I’ll tell you one thing for each fruit I stole. The Gardner clapped his hands together and beamed excitedly up at Nezumi.

“Great! Come down here and help me pick up these fruits. Once we’re done, we can hide in the shed while it rains. That’ll give us time to talk without getting interrupted.”

Nezumi jumped down next to the Gardner. Once on the ground he was able to observe the white-haired man up close. He was a head shorter than Nezumi and had dirt under his nails and in his hair. His hands were callused after years of working in the garden. He was much more interesting up close then in the tree. The Gardner must have the same thought about Nezumi because he had stopped working and was staring at him. Nezumi bent down and started picking up the fruit to avoid the watchful eyes of the Gardner. He didn’t like to be stared at. To his relief the Gardener stopped staring and went back to work. The continued in silence for a couple of minutes.

“I’m Sion by the way.” The Gardner finally said. Nezumi glanced up at him.

“Like the flower?”

“Yeah.” Sion smiled as he picked up the last fruit. He straightened up and turned to Nezumi. “Everyone here is named after flowers and plants.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Is that uncommon?” Sion’s smile faltered “I thought everyone was named after plants.”

“Are your guest usually named after flowers.”

“We just call them by their titles not their names.”

“I see.” Nezumi waited for Sion to pick up the basket and start to the shed. Instead, he just stood there observing Nezumi.

“What’s your name?”

Nezumi hesitated for a brief moment.

“It’ll cost you.”

“Fine, you can have this fruit.” Sion handed him the fruit he was holding “Now tell me your name”

“Nezumi.”

“Nezumi.” Sion said it softly as if he was testing out the name. “That’s so strange. Are all people named after animals?”

“No, it’s an uncommon name. I named myself that.”

“Really?!” Sion started at Nezumi his eyes wide. “You’re really interesting you know that?” before Nezumi could respond Sion suddenly turned and hurried down the path. “Let’s go before it rains!”

Nezumi watched him hurry away. Now that he was on the ground, he was having second thoughts on following Sion. The Gardner could be leading him into a trap. That being said, Nezumi didn’t want to stay outside in the rain. If Sion pulled anything funny Nezumi would take him out in a heartbeat. The Thief God hesitated for a second longer before following the strange white-haired man down the path.


	2. Research/ A Game of Questions and Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! First I want to thank those who left a review/ Kudo. Your support is extremely appreciated. I got way too excited every time I saw a kudo/review.  
> Anyways here's the next chapter. Like always it's not beta checked so feel free to point out any errors that bother you.  
> On to the story!

After thinking it over Nezumi decided that he needed to know more about the myth. If he really was Thief God, he should try to learn more about him; therefore, after Sion left, Nezumi headed down to the library. Sion had built one and had imported books from all over the place to fill it. Nezumi was able to find many different versions of the myth. Once he got home, Nezumi started his research. Each version of the myth differed in small ways. In some versions the Thief God or Gardener were female or not given a gender at all. Sometimes the Thief God lusted after the Gardener and sometimes the Gardener’s voices was so enchanting that Thief God kidnaped him. One version the Gardener was a rose that the Thief God turned into a human. All the stories however ended the same tragic way.

As Nezumi continued to plow through the books, he became aware that each description of the Thief God has different aspects of Nezumi’s personality or appearance. Thief God might be described as having grey eyes. Some were described as actors and quite a few had a beautiful singing voice.

“Did you buy all these?”

Nezumi looked up from his book. Sion was standing in the hall with his work bag over his shoulder and an umbrella in hand. Nezumi blinked at him and glanced at the clock. He didn’t realize how late it was getting. Sion closed the umbrella, eyeing the stacks of books. They didn’t have enough room of all of them. Usually Nezumi bought one book at the time in order to control how fast their library grew.

“No, I checked them out.” Nezumi closed the book and placed it on the table next to him.

“I thought you didn’t care for libraries. You said that it was more important to own the books.

“Usually, but I don’t want these books. I’d rather just borrow them.” The idea of keeping any book that had that myth in it made his skin crawl. 

“How did you get all of these from the library anyway?” Sion crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure I put a limit on how many books could be out at a time.”

“There’s nothing a little sweet talking and flattery can’t achieve.” Nezumi smiled sweetly

“So, you flirted with the librarian?”

“I wasn’t flirting. I just charmed the old woman behind the counter. She said I was a charming young gentleman.”

“Which old lady?” Sion’s eyes widened. “Did she have a small purple bow in her hair?”

“Yeah”

“You charmed Mrs. Crabsy?” Sion uncrossed his arms, a look of amazement on his face. “She hates everyone! One time she threw a book at me for being to loud. How did you do it?!”

“You should know how charming I can be when I want to.”

“Remind me to bring you if I need to inspect the library again.” Sion snorted as he picked up one of the books. He read the title.

“Oh!” he gasped his eyes lighting up. “I used to play this game when I was a kid!”

“What game? It’s a myth.”

“It is?” Sion looked over at Nezumi in surprise. “We didn’t have myths like this in No.6. I only knew the game version. One person was the Thief God and everyone else were Gardeners. The Gardeners carry balls and run away from the Thief God. The Thief God’s goal was to get the balls.”

“Sounds fun.”

“It was actually!” Sion’s face brightened. “Though I was almost always a Gardener. The other kids didn’t want me to be the Thief God because I had trouble running with the mask on.”

“What mask?”

“The Thief God has to wear a rat mask,” Sion said. Nezumi’s eyes narrowed.

“Why a rat mask?” He demanded. Sion shrugged.

“I don’t know. It’s the symbol of the Thief God.” He watched Nezumi curiously “Does it matter?”

“No.” Nezumi wasn’t going to tell Sion how much that information frustrated him. Even in a stupid kid’s game there was still ties to him. Sion shrugged and put down his workbag. As he did Nezumi noticed a cookbook inside.

“So, you’re finally going to start cooking.” He nodded towards it. “Good for you. I’m glad you aren’t “experimenting” anymore or living off of fruit and coffee.” Sion had two modes. Either he made up his own horrible recipes or he got into workaholic mode and lived off of coffee and a banana for the day.

“It is a gift from a coworker.” Sion said ignoring Nezumi’s last comment “ I told him I wanted start cooking and he bought me it. It was really nice of him.”

“Is that so?” Nezumi didn’t try to hide the growl in his voice. It wasn’t the first time that random coworkers gave a Sion gift. Sion had a good number of friends, but he still couldn’t tell the differences between flirting and friendship. This was definitely flirting. Sion picked up on the tone as rolled his eyes.

“He’s just a friend, Nezumi.” He pulled out the cookbook and put it on the shelf. “There’s no other meaning to it.”

“You said the same thing about Jenifer….and Jack….and Allen….and Rachel-”

“Ok I get it. I’ve misread people’s intentions in the past.” Sion sighed. “But he’s different. He already knows I’m dating you, so he won’t flirt with me.”

“When has that ever stopped someone before? My fans still flirt with me all the time and I made it public that I’m going out with you.” Since returning to No.6 Nezumi had once again picked up acting. “Don’t you remember what happened at the opening night of “Hamlet? As I recall on my fans actually demanded that I break up with you and go out with him instead.”

“That guy was really pushy.” Sion agreed.

“My point exactly.”

“That’s different.” waving his hand dismissively Sion started unpacking his work bag. “You’re famous and attractive. People are going to go after you no matter what.”

“You’re good looking too you know.” Nezumi leaned over the side of the couch to brush some hair out of Sion’s face. “You aren’t a scrawny 16-year-old anymore. You really grew into your look.” It was true. As Sion got older, he started really fitting his strange appearance.

“Truthfully, I’m glad that I returned when I did.” Nezumi murmured. “If I waited too long someone else would try tried to steel you.”

No one was going to try to steel me.” Sion’s checks turned bright red. “And even if someone tried, I wouldn’t have dated them. I was waiting for you.” Nezumi hummed a little and sat back, a satisfied grin on his face. Sion noticed it and hit his arm playfully.

“Alright enough of that. I still don’t want you to chase away a guy who just wants to be my friend.”

“We’ll see “ Nezumi smirked. Sion rolled his eyes again and finished unpacking. Once he was done, he flopped down on the couch next to Nezumi with a loud sigh and put his legs across his boyfriend’s lap.

“You’re impossible you know that?”

“Perhaps” Nezumi leaned in and kissed Sion gently, “So how was work?”

“Could have gone better.” Sion closed his eyes. “Today we tried to fix the history books. The problem is, even with historians from No. 5 and 4 we don’t exactly know what really happened here. There are holes in our history.”

“Of course, there are. No.6 didn’t leave many survivors and they made sure to destroy any history that went against them.”

“It’s so frustrating!” Sion groaned “Why couldn’t they let it be?”

“History is written by the victors. No. 6 won so their history became real. Now you won so your story is going to become real. We can’t know exactly what really happened. Even if you got your hands on a history book before No. 6 it might not be accurate either.”

“Why must everything be so complicated?” Sion opened his eyes gloomily. “So how was your day.” He eyed the books. “Busy? Why did you check out ton of different versions of the same myth anyways?”

“For research.”

“Is there going to be a play about it?” Sion’s eyes lit up in interest. “I would love to see that.” Nezumi hesitated. It would be so easy just to say that was the case, but he was trying to work his honesty.

“No…” he finally said. “I…just wanted to look it up.” Sion bit his lip. It was clear he wanted to press the matter but decided against it. Instead he picked up one of the books.

“Can I read this?”

“Sure.” Nezumi shrugged picking up his book again. Sion relaxed back on the couch and opened his book.

Both of them lapsed into silence and they enjoyed their books and each other’s company. There was something nice about reading with Sion. Outside the thunder softly rumbled and rain pattered against the roof. It was a nice evening to be inside. They didn’t usually enjoy rainy nights reading. Sion loved the rain and would go charging out whenever he could. Nezumi would follow at a distance and watch his boyfriend dance around like the wild child he was at heart. Today’s work must have really exhausting if Sion was willing to just sit inside and read.

All too soon however the peace was disrupted. Sion closed his book quietly and pulled his legs off of Nezumi’s lap. Instantly he knew something was wrong. He could feel Sion curling into a ball next to him. When he looked up, he found Sion staring out the window, his legs to his chest. Nezumi carefully closed his book and turned towards his boyfriend.

“Sion?”

“What?” Sion jumped a little and turned around.

“You were spaced out there.” Nezumi put his arm over Sion’s shoulder and Sion leaned into him. “What’s wrong?” It was quiet for a moment as Sion sorted out his thoughts.

“It’s just this story.” Sion finally said softly. “I feel like….” He glanced at Nezumi. “Don’t laugh or mock me ok?”

“Alright”

“I mean it” Sion stared at him.

“I won’t mock you ok.” Nezumi said impatiently. “Now what’s wrong.” Sion stared at him for a second longer before relaxing.

The myth reminds me of…strange dreams I’ve been having. I feel like I’ve seen the Garden of Paradise before. It felt so real.” Sion shivered. “I could almost taste the sacred fruit. I could almost hear the rain pattering on the shed’s roof and the Thief God’s voice. I haven’t read this myth before. There’s no way I could have dreamed about it.” He glanced up at Nezumi worriedly. “I feel like I’m going crazy.”

Nezumi stared at his boyfriend without really seeing him. This was the last thing he wanted to hear. There was only one explanation for the dreams. Sion was the Gardener. He was one Nezumi stole from his home. He was the one who longed to get away. He was the one who stabbed Nezumi. He was the one who Nezumi murdered in anger. At that last thought, something hard seemed to be growing in Nezumi's stomach and he felt sick. Why did it have to be him? Why Sion?

“Nezumi?”

Nezumi blinked a few times as he came back to reality. Sion watched him with a look of concern on his face.

“You spaced out.” He peered into Nezumi’s eyes. “You look sick.” He reached out a hand. Nezumi jerked away from him. Sion pulled back surprised.

“I just need….” _To get away from you._ “to rest.” Nezumi mumbled. He stood up and headed for the stairs.

“Wait!” Sion jumped up and followed him. “Are you angry with me?” His sounded hurt. Nezumi paused and sighed.

“No I’m not angry at you.” _I’m angry at myself and what I did._ “I just don’t feel good. I going to lie down for a while.”

“You’ve been waking up at night a lot. Maybe it’s making you ill. You should see a doctor.”

“I’m fine.” Nezumi snapped. It was quiet for a moment then Sion whispered,

“Ok”

Sion’s small voice made Nezumi feel guilty. He knew his boyfriend just wanted to help. There was no reason Nezumi should take out his frustrations on him. Nezumi took a long calming breath before speaking again,

“If I feel any worse, I’ll go see a doctor.” He gave Sion a small smile. “I’ll probably go to bed early tonight ok?”

“Ok.” Sion relaxed. “I’ll make you some soup. That should help you feel better.”

“Chicken Noodle soup.” Nezumi forced a smirk on his face. “And not your experimental one. Make your mother’s recipe.” It had the desired effect. Sion rolled his eyes again and gave Nezumi a look.

“So picky.” He grumbled.

Nezumi turned and continued to their room. Once the door was closed his smile fell and he slid down the wall. He promised himself that he wouldn’t keep any more major secrets from Sion and here he was lying again. He should just tell his boyfriend the truth. Nezumi sighed and rubbed his temple. If he was being honest, he was afraid of how Sion would act. Would Sion try to help him? That could end badly if Nezumi got his memories back and wanted to hurt him. Would Sion pull away from him? That would break Nezumi more then he wanted to admit. All scenarios seemed to have a bad ending. As he sat there, thoughts started running through his head.

What was going to happen when they got their memories back? Would they hate each other? Would anything that happened this life change how they felt for each other? Would Sion hate Nezumi? Would he actually hurt Sion? Would Sion actually hurt him? Would they end up killing each other?

Suddenly Nezumi wished he never returned. If he had just stayed away, he would be safe. Sion would be safe. If he remembered and tried to kidnap or kill Sion….he couldn’t let that happen. Nezumi buried his face in his hands. The most reasonable course of action would be to leave, but he knew he couldn’t. Even while traveling he was constantly being called home to Sion. The second Sion ran into his arms, he knew he would stay by his side forever. That left only one option. Nezumi would have to find a way to suppress both of their memories.

_A long time ago in a world forgotten by all…._

“We can talk in here.” Sion nestled himself on a crate of fruit. “ For every question I ask, you get to keep one of the fruits you stole.” An idea occurred to him and he smiled. “and after that, you can take a fruit from the crate for each question I ask until your bag fills up.” Sion nodded placed with himself. That would keep Nezumi here longer and allow Sion to ask more questions.

“Yeah ok.” Nezumi sat down on a crate across from Sion and looked around the little shed. It was a dark place that smelt like damp pine. There was one door in a corner and a single window against the back wall. Outside the rain was pouring. Sion shivered with excitement. He loved the rain. All Gardeners did. Whenever it rained, they didn’t need to work. Instead, they would go outside and dance. It was the only time they were allowed to take a break. Lucky for Sion and Nezumi Gardeners enjoyed playing in the clearings by the Temple. None of them would come near this shed since there was too much tree coverage.

A rumble of thunder rumbled boomed out and Sion fought down the urge to spring from his create and run outside. This was his only chance to learn about the outside world. Sion turned his attention back to Nezumi. He took in his guest’s appearance. It was so strange to see someone who didn’t have white hair. The only other being he saw was the Earth God with his green hair and green robes. He was always the exception. Now Sion and another point of reference. Staring at Nezumi had the desired effect he wanted. The urge to run outside slowly died down as his curiosity got the best off him.

“What do you want to know first?”

Nezumi’s voice rang out through the silence. Sion snapped back to reality. The dark-haired man was watching him with an air of impatience. Sion paused as he thought over everything he wanted to know. The list went on and on. Sion knew he had limited questions. He tried to sort out his thoughts.

“Do all creatures outside the garden look like you?” He finally asked.

“No, everyone looks different. It’s not common for a group to look as similar as you and the other Gardeners.” He eyed Sion “It’s weird. There are only small differences in your appearances.”

“Why do people look different?

“Because we’re born instead of created.”

“How is that different?” Sion always assumed that he was created the same way as everyone else.

“When a creature is born, no one has control over what they look like or what they can do. It’s passed down from their parents.” Nezumi gestured at Sion. “You on the other hand were created for a sole purpose. Your skills and looks were predetermined.”

“So, were you born?”

“Yes, it’s much more common to be born then created. Creating creatures take lots of energy.”

“Really?” Sion leaned in a little “How do born creatures differ from each other?”

Nezumi began to explain the differences in physical appearances. After that, he told Sion about the different species that existed from nymphs and spirits to guardians and divine creatures. Then Sion wanted to know the differences between children and adults. Lastly, he wanted to know about homes and families.

“Don’t you have a home?” Nezumi asked raising an eyebrow.

“That garden is my home.”

“I mean a structure of some sort that you live in.”

“Oh.” Sion had to think about it. “We have shed for the fruit and a shared sleeping space but everything else is outside. The Earth God’s temple could be a home. I’m only allowed inside once a year during the grand harvest, so I don’t actually know.” Sion’s eyes twinkled. “I’d love to have a kitchen though. It would be fun to eat different kinds of food. We live off the fruit we pick.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Nezumi pocked another fruit. “It’s too bad I ate before coming here or I would have shown you what a meal looks like.” Sion silently cursed his luck. Why couldn’t Nezumi have waited a little longer before eating? He could have seen what Nezumi usually ate and perhaps had tried some. What he thought must have shown on his face because Nezumi smirked in amused.

“Even if I brought food I wouldn’t let you have any.”

“Why not!” Sion asked indignantly.

“Because I need it to keep my strength up so I can sneak out of the garden. The fruit is good but not very filling. Unlike you, I can’t live entirely off them.” He grinned at Sion’s pouty expression. “What’s your next question.”

From there Sion demanded to know a basic list of food items people ate. In the mists of the food talk, Nezumi brought up creatures called humans. These fascinated Sion to no end. He had never heard of a creature that got old and died like trees and plants. He wanted to know more.

“Can immortals become a human and die of old age?”

“Yeah, if their soul is trapped long enough in the human realm; they’re reborn as humans and are stuck there unless their memories come back.” Nezumi took another fruit.

“So, if you go to the human realm for too long, you turn into a human?”

“No, my soul is in my body. Unless it’s ripped out and put into a doll or something, I’ll stay immortal.”

“I see.” Sion shuttered. He had never heard of anyone ripping out a soul before. It sounded unpleasant hand horrible.

“That rarely happens,” Nezumi reassured. “Most of the time someone will just murder you.”

“How is that better?!” Sion exclaimed horrified. Nezumi gave an amused laugh.

“You are so innocent. No wonder you’re not allowed out of the Garden.”

“I couldn’t leave anyways because my soul is connected to the garden.” Sion pouted. “and stop teasing me!”

“Well, that’s a good thing I suppose.” Nezumi grinned at him. “You’d be dead within a week if you went out there.” Sion glowered at Nezumi who continued to laugh.

“Can I ask my next question,” He huffed. “or are you going to continue mocking me?” Nezumi paused still grinning.

“Can’t we do both?”

“No.”

“Hmm” Nezumi pretended to think it over. “Alright then. What’s your next question?”

“Can humans become immortal?”

“Yeah but that’s more complicated. They have to go on a long journey…

After that Nezumi told Sion stories about famous humans who managed to become immortal. After a while, Sion noticed that Nezumi’s bag was almost full. His heart sank. That meant he had only a few more questions left. Nezumi noticed this too.

“You have two questions left,” Nezumi observed his bag. “You better choose wisely.

Sion thought over what the next two questions would be. What else did he want to know about the outside world? A lot actually. As he thought it over another thought occurred to him. He might know more about the world, but he didn’t know anything about Nezumi other than the fact he was born instead of created. Sion knew what his next questions would be.

“I’ve learned about a lot of different species. What are you? Are you a nymph or a Guardian or something else?” Nezumi paused.

“I’m a God”

Sion gasped in shock. Nezumi was the same as the Earth God. Even if he didn’t know anything else, he knew that Gods were very important and powerful. All the guests who came into the garden were gods and goddesses. They had an air about them that made them feel big and important. Sion would never have guessed Nezumi was a God. He never gave off that feeling of grandeur. He seemed so approachable. He didn’t treat Sion as if he was a lower being. That didn’t change the fact that Nezumi was a God and Sion had been way too casual with him.

“I’m sorry sir.” Sion bowed his head politely. “I was unaware that you were a God. Please forgive my earlier attitude.” As he was looking down, he noticed how dirty his tunic was. He bushed it off self-consciously. Whenever he was in the presence of the Earth God or his guests Sion and the other Gardeners would bathe in the stream and wash out their tunics. He didn’t look presentable to be in the presents of a god at all.

“Drop the formality.” Nezumi sighed. It’s stupid and pointless. We were talking fine before. Let’s stick with that.” Sion paused. Was he allowed to do that? If Nezumi said it was fine, then he shouldn’t worry.

 _“Besides”_ a voice in his head reasoned. _“Nezumi is an intruder. Maybe formalities don’t extend to unwanted guests.”_

He relaxed and smiled at Nezumi. 

“What’s your last question?”

“What are you the God of?” To Sion’s surprise, Nezumi tensed up. He had thought this was an easy question. Apparently Nezumi thought otherwise. He stared at Sion for a long time sizing him up.

“Are you planning on telling anyone of our meeting?” he finally asked. “I don’t want the Earth God to know that I was here until it’s too late.” Sion didn’t know what Nezumi meant by ‘too late’ but he felt slightly insulted that he thought Sion had that little common sense.

“Of course not!” he huffed indigently. “I’m not stupid. I’d get in trouble if I told anyone that I let you take some fruit.”

“Alright then. I’m the Thief God.”

“I see.” Sion thought it over for a moment. “That would explain why you’re stealing from the garden.” Sion’s eyes lit up. “I’ve never met a thief before. You’re the first!”

Nezumi stared at him in amazement for a moment before sniggering.

“You are so weird. That’s not how most people react when they hear my title.”

“Oh.” Sion wasn’t sure how people would usually react, but he didn’t feel any differently about Nezumi now that he knew who he was. The dark-haired man glanced out the window then stood up.

“The rain is slowing down.” he noted. Sion turned and looked outside. It was still wet out, but it was more of a drizzle than rain. His heart sank.

“You’re leaving?” he tried to hide the sadness in his voice. He failed apparently because Nezumi gave him a look.

“Of course, why would I stay?”

“You know if you leave you can’t come back,” Sion said softly getting up as well.

“Oh?” Nezumi raised an eyebrow. “You think I can’t sneak back in here.”

“If you do, I’ll have to tell the guards.”

“Is that so?” Nezumi’s voice became cold. “Then I’d be forced to kill you.”

“I know, but I can’t keep on pushing off my duties. I broke so many rules today and I put my garden and comrades in danger.” Sion felt shame fill his stomach. He really shouldn’t have given in to temptation like that. Nezumi’s face softened slightly.

“It must be difficult to be created for a purpose. It’s hard for you to break that purpose isn’t it?”

“I’m not a god, Nezumi. I’m just a Gardener. I was created to tend the Garden of Paradise, that’s it. I am not in control of my own life.”

“I see.” Nezumi turned away and headed to the door. “Then let’s hope that if I do decide to return, I won’t run into you.”

“Nezumi!”

The dark-haired man paused at the shed’s threshold. Sion took a few steps towards him. He didn’t want Nezumi to leave like this. He needed to say what was on his mind.

“Even if we meet again. Even if you are forced to kill me. I won’t regret meeting you. Talking to you has been the best thing in my life. I learned more today than the eternity I’ve been here.” Sion gulped down the rising emotions. “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry.”

Sion blinked in surprise. Was Nezumi apologizing because they couldn’t meet again? Was he showing regret that Sion was just a Gardner? Perhaps he meant that he was sorry that he was the best thing to happen to Sion.

Whatever he meant; it didn’t matter. After another quick pause, Nezumi disappeared into the garden leaving Sion behind in the dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Thank you for reading. Feel free to leave a comment/Kudo. They really make my day!


	3. Sick Day/ A Bribe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! First a big thanks to everyone who is reading the story. Here's the next chapter. Like always it's not beta-read so feel free to point out any mistakes.

_That left only one option. Nezumi would have to find a way to suppress both of their memories._

That was easier said than done. After a week of researching, Nezumi couldn’t find any way to do it. Each night the dreams increased and every morning he felt as if he was that much close to remembering. He knew Sion’s dreams were getting worse as well. If Nezumi didn’t wake up in a cold sweat, then he was woken by Sion when he suddenly sat up in bed. Nezumi always pretended he was still asleep when that happened. After their first conversation, Sion didn’t talk about his dreams again. It left unsaid tension between them. Nezumi wasn’t going to be the one to break it. If Sion wasn’t going to bring it up, then Nezumi wasn’t either. Even so, he was getting tired of waking up in the middle of the night.

Nezumi stifled a yawn as he and Sion headed down the street. It was a cool night and Nezumi would rather be snuggled next to Sion with a book then going to take care of Dog Keeper. Her fever had gotten worse. Karan was at her wit’s end. Between taking care of Dog Keeper and running the bakery she had no time for anything else. That was why Sion had promised to look after Dog Keeper for the evening. Nezumi had lightly complained, but in truth, he was concerned about Dog Keeper as well. even if he wouldn’t admit it out loud. She had always been uncannily healthy. Despite her living conditions, she rarely got sick, and when she did it only lasted about 24 hours. Nezumi had never seen her bedridden for so long. It was kind of unnerving.

“Hey Nezumi.” Sion’s voice pulled Nezumi back to the present. They were standing in front of Karan’s Bakery. “Are you ok? You’ve been spaced out for the last minute.”

“I’m fine.” Nezumi started forward quickly. Behind him, he could feel Sion’s disapproval stare. They had been like that all week. Sion knew something was up but didn’t ask. It was unusual for him to be this quiet.

“Are you coming?” Nezumi called over his shoulder. Sion paused then followed. Once they were in the apartment over the bakery, they found Karen waiting for them. She looked awful. Her usually bright eyes were dim with exhaustion and her skin was pale.

“You look tired.”

“I’ve been busy.” She surveyed them frowning. “I’m not the only one who looks tired. You two look exhausted. Is everything alright at home?”

“It’s fine,” Sion said curtly avoiding eye contact. Nezumi did the same. He could feel Karan disapprove stare. It reminded him so much of Sion’s.

“So, how’s Dog Keeper?” Nezumi said changing the subject. Karan shifted and Nezumi saw she looked worried

“She’s getting worse. Last night she started hallucinating. This fever is making her delirious.”

“Is it really bad?” Sion mirrored his mother’s worried look.

“She doesn’t recognize me half the time.”

“What did the doctor say?” 

“She doesn’t know what to make of it either. She gave me medicine that seems to help, but it only works for a short period of time.” Karan rubbed her forehead wearily. “I’m bringing her to the doctors on Saturday.”

“Do we need to give her medicine this evening?” Nezumi asked.

“I left it on the counter. She’ll need it in about half an hour.” Karen paused again. “Are you two sure you’re alright?”

“We’re fine,” Sion said more gently this time. He took his mother’s arm and pulled her towards her room “Leave Dog Keeper to us.” Karan looked like wanted to say something but then nodded instead. Nezumi watched her go into her room. Once she was gone Sion turned to Nezumi.

“We should be quiet in case she’s asleep.” Nezumi hoped she was. He had brought a book bag with a few books to read. If she slept the whole time, he could get a more research done both on the myth and dream.

Apparently, he wasn’t that lucky.

When they entered the room Dog Keeper was sitting up in bed. Her cheeks were flushed red and she was teetering. Nezumi surprised a sigh as he put down his bag. Instead of doing something productive that could help him and Sion, Nezumi was instead going to have to babysit. Something told him Dog Keeper wasn’t going to make this easy.

“Dog Keeper!” Sion ran across the room and pulled her back down. “You can’t get up.” She fell with a small thump and stared bleary-eyed at them.

“About time you two showed up! I thought you guys died on the way!”

“You knew we were coming?” Nezumi raised an eyebrow.

“Of course.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Sion needs to wash the dogs. I’m not paying him to sit around and do nothing.” This statement was met with silence. Finally, Sion whispered.

“Dog Keeper I don’t work for you anymore. We’re no longer in the West District.” Dog Keeper squinted at him, deep in thought. For a second Nezumi thought she was going to remember where she was but instead, she gave a toothy grin.

“You know you kind of look like a white fluffy dog. I know I’ll call you fluffy!” Nezumi snorted. Next to him, Sion made an affronted sound. Dog Keeper nodded with satisfaction and turned to Nezumi. “He’s interesting looking. How much are you willing to sell him for?” This time Nezumi didn’t hold back his laugher. Next to his Sion sputtered in protest.

“Hmmm.” Nezumi pretended to think it over. “I don’t know he _is_ my boyfriend.”

“Nezumi!” Sion said exasperated.

“How about 50 gold pieces?” Dog Keeper sat up and crossed her arms. “It’s a good deal.”

“I’ll pass.” Nezumi wrapped his arm around Sion. “I’ll keep him for now.”

“Stop playing along.” Sion pulled away from Nezumi and went over to Dog Keeper. “You’re only exciting her. She needs rest.” He forced her to lie down again.

“Alright.” Nezumi shrugged and took a seat next to Dog Keeper. She watched him frowning.

“You know he’s not like a book, right? You can’t keep him on a shelf.” She nodded sagely. “He’ll need to be watered and fed. Also needs fresh air.”

“I’m not a dog or a plant,” Sion grumbled.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Nezumi smirked. Dog Keeper would rue the day she got sick. He was never going to let her live this down. Dog Keeper nodded again before getting bored with them and started looking around the room. Her eyes landed on Nezumi’s bag.

“Is that your bag?” Dog Keeper smirked and suddenly sprang out of bed before Sion had time to react. She opened his bag and started pulling things out.

“What do we have in here.” Her expression became amused. “Is this a children’s book?” She pulled out the myth and held it up. “What did you forget to read or something or…” at the moment she toppled over. Sion and Nezumi picked her up and brought her back to bed. She lay down staring at Nezumi. Finally, she gasped and pointed at him. “I got it! You have a kid!” This time it was Sion’s turn to snigger. Nezumi frowned and threw the blanket over her head.

“Aright time to sleep.” He turned to Sion. “We should probably give her the medicine.” With any hope, it would put her to sleep. Her actions were amusing but it was getting tiring. Nezumi turned to leave when suddenly a hand shot out from under the blanket and wrapped around his wrist. Dog Keeper’s face peered out fearful and terrified.

“Nezumi” she gasped. “Please. I’ll pay anything, just send my mother off! She’s in so much pain.”

“I already did.” Nezumi tried to pull away but her grasp was strong.

“Nezumi please she’s HURT. How much? I don’t care about the price.” Her hand squeezed Nezumi’s.

“I told you” Nezumi yanked away. “I already did. She’s gone.”

“Sing please!” Dog Keeper begged, grabbing his arm. Nezumi sighed frustrated. Dog Keeper was going to owe him big time when she got better.

“Do you think it would help if you sang?” Sion gave him a ‘please just cooperate’ look.

“Fine.” Nezumi sat down again. “Go get the medicine. I’ll sing her a song.” Sion nodded and left. Nezumi turned back to Dog Keeper.

“Alight what do you want me to sing?”

Dog keeper didn’t answer. Her expression had morphed into a look of confusion.

“Nezumi…why?” her voice was so low that Nezumi had to lean in a little to hear. “You loved him so much…How could it end that way?” she shook her head fiercely. “No, I don’t believe him!” her hand clutching his arm tightened “Tell me what happened.” She suddenly sat up baring her teeth at him, “Tell me now! You got me involved in this. I should know the truth!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Nezumi tried to break free.

“Why did you do it? Why Thief God?”

Nezumi froze. He wasn’t expecting to hear that name come from Dog Keeper. Did she actually know something or was this just a hallucination created by seeing the myth in his bag.

“How do you know that name?” he demanded; grabbing her shoulder. She tensed up a little then relaxed.

“What name?” she said groggily. “Nezumi what are you doing here?” Nezumi sighed and let her go.

“Never mind just lie down.”

She nodded mutely and buried her head in the pillow.

“I feel awful.” She moaned. “This illness just keeps going on and on.”

“Be grateful you’re not in the West District still or you’d be dead by now.”

“What were you talking about a moment ago?” Dog Keeper surveyed him from her pillow. “I haven’t heard you sound that serious in a while.”

“Have you heard of the Thief God before?”

“The Thief God?” Dog Keeper frowned in concentration. “Yeah, he’s from an old myth right. I heard it from a storyteller who stayed at my hotel once. What about him?”

“Never mind.” Nezumi forced his expression back to neutral. Dog Keeper had referred to the myth because she had heard it before, nothing more. It left Nezumi feeling frustrated. For one moment he had thought he had found an answer. Dog Keeper watched him suspiciously. They sat in silence for a moment. Then the door banged open.

“Alright, I got the medicine.” Sion was holding two white pills and a glass of water.

“Keep it down.” Dog Keeper hissed. Sion's eyes widened and he hurried to her side.

“Are you….alright?” he asked tentatively.

“I have a pounding headache and I want to sleep. Give me that damn medicine.” She swiped it from Sion’s hands and chocked it down. Sion watched her.

“We were worried about you. You were hallucinating. You thought we were living in the West District.”

“Really?” Dog Keeper snuggled back into her pillow.

“You also tried to buy Sion off of me,” Nezumi smirked.

“Did I?” Dog Keeper yawned. “You better not have scammed me out of money. You can keep him. He’s more trouble than he’s worth.” Her eyelids drooped. After a few moments, she was asleep.

“That medicine worked fast.” Nezumi leaned back on the chair enjoying the sudden silence. It didn’t last.

“Nezumi, can we talk for a minute?” Sion’s voice sounded uncertain. When Nezumi looked at him he found his boyfriend fidgeting with his sleeve.

“Sure.” Nezumi shrugged. “What do you want to talk about?” Sion sat down next to him.

“I want to talk about the dreams….” He looked down at his hands. ”Ever since I told you about them you’ve been avoiding me.” He tensed a little. “My dreams have been getting worse and I wanted to talk to you about them, but I didn’t want things to get worse between us. But I need to talk about this so even if it’s going to make avoid me again please hear me out. When I have these dreams…it feels like I’m close to understanding something important but then my head hurts and I wake up.” Nezumi frowned. That was unusual. He never got headaches from his dreams.

“It frustrating and scary.” Sion tucked his legs to his torso. “And I feel like you know something about all of this and that’s why you’ve been avoiding me. I just hate feeling like I’m missing something. It makes me feel alone. alone.” It was finally out. The tension between them broke and Nezumi let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Sion.” Nezumi paused unsure of what to say. He needed to comfort his boyfriend and make amends for hurting him again, but he wasn’t ready to admit his own dreams. “I’ve been trying to find a way to make the dreams…go away.”

“If that’s all then why didn’t you just tell me.” Sion sighed. “You know it doesn’t matter. Have you found a way to make them go away?” Nezumi shook his head. “I see.” Sion hesitated for a second. “I’ve been thinking. Do you think therapy would help?” If things were normal Nezumi would have scoffed at the idea. There was no way telling a stranger all your secrets were actually going to help. These weren’t normal dreams however and Nezumi was willing to try almost anything to make them go away.

“Maybe that could help.”

“Really?” Sion looked up surprised “I thought you were going to scoff at me.”

“It’s a good idea.” Nezumi paused “Maybe I’ll talk to a therapist too.” Nezumi wasn’t planning on talking about his dreams with a stranger. He had plans to interrogate the therapist until he had a way to fight these memories.

“Who are you and what did you do with my boyfriend.” Sion poked him in the shoulder playfully. Nezumi grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer. Sion giggled. Nezumi leaned in and kissed Sion gently. It was nice to breathe freely around him again. He would get to the bottom of this and save them before they could hurt each other.

\---

_A long time ago in a world forgotten by all…._

After returning to his normal life Nezumi decided to forget about Sion. He sold the fruit to Wolf Whisperer and enjoyed watching the Earth’s God’s reputation going down. Now that the fruit was in circulation it made The Earth God's impenetrable garden a little less mysterious. Once he got bored of that Nezumi went back to his normal life. He broke into places, stole stuff, read, acted, and generally did his own thing. He thought that after a month or so he would forget Sion like he forgot most people he ran into. However, as months past Sion remained fixated in his mind. There was something that bothered him about the Gardener. It was frustrating.

After a year of trying to ignore his feelings, Nezumi had enough. He sat down a properly analyzed what happened in the Garden of Paradise. He decided that Sion himself wasn’t what bothered Nezumi, it was his attitude. Sion had told him, that he couldn’t return to the garden. He even went as far as to threaten to call the guards if he did. Of course, this would bother Nezumi. The little Garden didn’t understand how cunning he was. He would show Sion that, not only would he return to the garden, but he would seek out Sion personally and then convince him to not call the guards. A ripple of excitement went through him. This game was going to be fun. It wasn’t like there was anything interesting about the Gardener himself other than his strange attuited…or the fact that he disobeyed his master’s orders, something that created creatures usually didn’t do…or the way his red eyes lit up in excitement…it was none of that. Sion’s ignorance was what kept his relevant, that’s all.

Once he came to that conclusion he started planning. To make his place work he first had to visit Wolf Whisperer’s shop. Wolf Whisperer always sold strange things, most of them illegal. Nezumi tended to sell his stolen items here if he wasn’t planning on keeping them. Today however he had something else in mind.

“You’re back rather soon.” Wolf Whisperer looked up from where she lounged in a chair. “I thought you were heading out North or something.”

“I changed my mind.” Nezumi walked around looking at the different items. Wolf Whisperer sat up and stretched.

“Alright then what do you have for me today.” She held out her hand.

“Nothing. I’m here to buy not sell.” Nezumi didn’t need to look up to know Wolf Whisperer was staring at him.

“I thought you didn’t buy ‘my crap’. What are you up to?” Nezumi chooses to ignore her as he continued to pursue the shelves. Finally, he found what he was looking for. He pulled it off the shelve and held it out to Wolf Whisperer.

“How much is this?”

Wolf Whisperer started at the book in his hand, one eyebrow raised.

“You know that’s a children’s book of ‘good morals’, right?”

“What about it?”

“That seems a little below your reading level or interest level.” Wolf Whisper hopped off her chair and circled around him.

“It’s not for me.”

“I see.” A mocking grin crossed her face. “Congratulations then. I didn’t know you had a kid.”

“Knock it off and tell me the price,” Nezumi growled. He wasn’t going to explain himself to Wolf Whisperer. Her grin vanished.

“You’re serious.” When Nezumi didn’t answer she surveyed him carefully. “You don’t buy people gifts. Who is it for?

“How. Much.” Nezumi repeated forcefully. Wolf Whisperer started at him.

“50 bronze coins, I guess. It’s just a children’s book.” Wolf Whisperer finally said. Nezumi tossed her the amount and turned to leave.

“I will figure out who it’s for.” Wolf Whisperer gave a toothy grin. “Very few secrets get past my wolves.”

Nezumi didn’t answer. He just shot her a look and pocked the book. It was always better not to show too many emotions around Gradians. They could feed off of that energy. Nezumi wasn’t worried about Wolf Whisperer fighting him, as a God there was no way she could win again him. Even so, it would be a nuisance to always have to deal with wolves. Once a Guardian was attacked, their protected creatures became hostile.

“Oi Thief God, before you leave, I want to give you a warning.” Wolf Whisperer's words halted Nezumi. She never gave information free unless it involved her as well.

“What is it?”

“Another case of Epak was found. Word is that you were in that area. I would steer clear of the Steel Goddess. She is investigating this one and you’re on her suspect list. ”

“Thanks for the head up,” Nezumi smirked back at her. “I won’t get caught and you won’t be arrested for being my associate.” Wolf Whisperer growled.

“Just get out of my shop.”

Nezumi turned and sauntered away. Once he was out the door, he let his expression fall. Epak cases were always annoying. The stupid potion popped up once and a while, despite the Gods making it illegal. The most harmful thing about Epak was that it forced the drinker to obey a single command and if they didn’t they died painfully. Once it was in a person, their body starts acting on its own without the mind’s input in order to stay alive. Dealing with people on Epak was difficult since they would do anything to survive and didn’t have common sense. Even when Nezumi wasn’t involved he somehow always ended up on a suspect list due to his shady nature. Nezumi wondered if he should go return to his back up job of acting. If he was there, the theater master would give him an alibi. He would probably do that…after he visited Sion that is.

It was easier the second time to get into the garden. Finding Sion however was more difficult then he thought it would be. Although he arrived early in the morning it took him past noon to find Sion. First, because all the Gardeners looked too similar. It took him a while of staring at each of their faces from where he was hiding in to identify if it was Sion or not. The second reason was that the garden was big. It took him almost an hour to walk from one side to the other.

Nezumi had just climb another tree to survey a group of Gardeners when he finally spotted Sion. He was picking fruit off a tree and passing it down to some Gardeners below. Nezumi watched them for a few minutes debating his next course of action. He could try to get Sion’s attention, but then Sion might turn him in before he had time to speak. Nezumi could wait until Sion was alone but who knows how long that would take. Both options were quite unpleasant. Before he could make up his mind Sion turned his head slightly looking for more fruit and spotted Nezumi. Their eyes met. Sion paused then turned to the others.

“I saw some fruit fall off a tree over there.” he pointed Nezumi’s direction “I’m going to pick it up before it goes bad.

“Do you need help?” Another Gardener asked.

“No, thanks, Marigold.” Sion smiled and turned away. Nezumi watched him approach the tree. Once he was at the base of it, his smile fell.

“Nezumi why did you return.” Sion glared hostilely at him. “I can’t excuse this.” he bit his lip and glanced over his shoulder. “Look if you leave now, I won’t tell the guards you were here.” He paused again and tensed. “Of course, you don’t need to listen to me. You’re going to kill me right?” He looked so forlorn, “Why did you have to return?”

“I have a better idea.” Nezumi hopped out of the tree landing next to Sion. “How about I bribe you instead to not turn me in.”

“Bribe?” Sion looked suspicious. “What’s that.”

“It’s an item I’m going to give you in exchange for your silence.”

Sion’s mouth formed a thin line and he crossed his arms.

“I can’t Nezumi. I already risked too much for you. I can’t keep neglecting my duties. I need to protect my garden.”

“You haven’t even seen what it is.”

“That won’t change anything.”

“Oh really?” Nezumi reached into his bag and pulled out the book. Sion’s eyes locked onto it. They hungrily took in the cover and gold trim. He unfolded his arms, his hands clenched and unclenched as if he was longing to reach over and take it.

“I don’t care what that is.” His voice was stiff and didn’t hide the longing expression on his face. “So you can keep…whatever that is.”

“A book.” Nezumi raised an eyebrow. “You’ve never seen one before?

“No.” Sion’s will was cracking even as he desperately tried to hide it. Nezumi knew if he pushed a little more it would crumble completely.

“It’s an object full of words that tells a story.” Nezumi pressed on.

“Words? So, it’s like a scroll.” Sion’s eyes glistened. “I’ve seen the Earth God read from scrolls before. Is it like that or is it different? You said stories. What kind of stories? Wh-” He caught himself and took a step back his face hardening. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t care. Leave now and I won’t report you.” Nezumi surveyed him for a moment. He had to be careful about what he said next. Although Sion’s will was crumbling his guilt was still stronger. He was after all a created creature. He disobeyed the rules ones and he didn’t want to do it again. Nezumi thought of another way to approach this.

“You know I wasn’t planning on taking any fruit out of the Garden this time. I only came here to see you.”

“Really?” Sion asked eyes full of suspicion. “Is that true?”

“It is.” Nezumi had eaten his fill of fruit before meeting up with Sion so he technically didn’t bring it out of the garden. He also wasn’t planning on getting any more fruit. He already took the Earth God down a notch. There was no need to go overboard.

“See for yourself.” Nezumi opened his bag and showed Sion the content. “I’ve been here since morning. If I wanted to take some I would have already.”

“That’s true…” Sion relaxed a little.

“The only reason you would need to protect your garden is if I was planning on stealing something. It wouldn’t hurt anyone for me to just talk to you.” He knew that he had won. Sion relaxed completely as all traces of hostility left him leaving only excitement.

“This way.” Sion beckoned Nezumi through the trees. “We can find somewhere quiet to talk.” They rushed down paths until they came to a thickly wooded area. “These trees are not in season. No one will be tending them today.” Sion turned around to face Nezumi holding out his hands eagerly. “Now give me it!”

Nezumi snorted in amusement and handed over the book. Sion took it and held it gently. He opened the cover and flipped through the pages stopping at the pictures. He gasped softly and ran his hand over them.

“This is amazing! I feel like a scholar.” Sion beamed at Nezumi. “Hold this makes me feel smart.” He gazed at the print. “So, this is writing.”

“I take it you can’t read,” Nezumi observed. Sion shook his head.

“Only scholars read and write. They write reports about the harvest.”

His hand traveled across the page until it came to the words “Chapter 2”. He paused smiling. “I can count though.” He pointed to the number. “This is the number 2” he sounded so proud of himself that Nezumi almost chuckled. “It’s the gardener’s job to count all the fruit harvested in the garden.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Why?” Sion looked surprised. “It’s fun.” Nezumi didn’t know how to respond. How sheltered did one have to be to think that counting fruit all day was fun?

“Hey Nezumi, can you read??

“Of course,”

“Then you know what each letter is right? Sion pointed to a letter. “What’s this?”

“That’s’ the letter R.”

“Oh, and this?”

“T”

“This one?”

“M”

Nezumi’s life had always been full of unexpecting things. He didn’t expect his mother to abandon him as a child. He didn’t expect the sacred Tomb of the Fallen Warrior to be guarded by a giant scorpion and he most definitely did not expect to be giving a Gardener a lesson on the alphabet. However there they were, going over each letter and its corresponding sounds. Nezumi drew them in the dirt and Sion copied them. If his past self could see him, he would scoff at the tedious job Nezumi found himself in. He knew he should be annoyed that he had to give lessons to Sion. He was not a babysitter and teaching wasn’t his thing. Instead, Nezumi found it enjoyable. It could be because Sion was an enthusiastic student that wanted to know everything. It could be that Sion’s eyes gleamed every time he learned something new. It could be because Nezumi was sharing something he loved with someone who was appreciating it.

Whatever the reason the afternoon flew by and soon it was twilight. They stopped when Sion could no longer see the letters. The Gardener sat up from where he was hunched over the book and sighed with satisfaction Then, to his surprise, Sion held out the book to him.

“Thanks for teaching me about letters and sounds. Too bad we ran out of time. I would love to be able to try to sound out some words in the book.”

Nezumi looked from him to the book. Why was Sion giving it back? He had thought the Gardener would want to keep it.

“Why are you giving it to me?” He finally asked.

“Shouldn’t I give it back.” Sion’s smile faded.

“It’s a bribe you keep it.”

“But if I keep it, the other Gardeners will know you were here.” Sion gave Nezumi a ‘duh’ look. “When they look through it, they will wonder where it came from.” Nezumi watched Sion closing. It was just dawning on him that Sion had no idea of the concept of ownership.

“They won’t see the book. It’s not theirs, it’s just yours.” He explains. Sion looked dumbfounded.

“What? How does that work?”

Nezumi sighed and tried again.

“The Garden of Paradise belongs to the Earth God, right?” Sion nodded. “He decides who enters and who can use it right?” Sion nodded again. “That book is the same. You own it. No one else gets to see it.”

A light of understanding flickered in Sion’s eyes. He slowly looked down at the book and gulped.

“So, I don’t need to show or share it with anyone.” He finally said. “No one is allowed to use this without my permission.” He gulped again harder. “It only belongs to me.” His hands started shaking. “That’s a lot of power.”

Nezumi watched him bemused. He had never thought much about owning things. Everyone owned something. To Sion however owning this book was the equivalent to holding power. Here was an object that no one had the right to take. Something swelled in Nezumi’s chest. He liked the fact that he was the one to give Sion this power.

Sion looked his eyes full of wonder. “Thank you.”

At his words, something clicked in Nezumi. Before he had time to think it over, he found himself saying,

“I’ll come back and bring you more bribes. In the meantime, practice your letter. I want you to be able to start reading when I return.” Sion’s eyes widened and he held the book close to his chest.

“You’re coming back?” The joy on his face brightened up the sky. Nezumi didn’t answer, too busy sorting out his own thoughts. It wasn’t like him to make promises on a whim.

“Sion!” A voice called from nearby. Sion jumped and stared over his shoulder.

“It’s getting late. You should go.” Sion turned to Nezumi. “I’ll see you later then.” Nezumi nodded and melted into the darkness. The Gardener named Marigold came into view.

“Sion where have you been!” She started chastising him. Sion slipped the book under his tunic and apologized. Nezumi watched them walk away. He didn’t know why he made that promise but he knew he wasn’t going to break it. Whatever was special about Sion apparently wasn’t his attitude. Nezumi was going to keep returning to the Garden until if figured it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Comments? Complaints? Thoughts? Emojis? Smashing your head against the keyboard? I would love to hear from you!  
> Until next time!


	4. The Stranger/ A Disturbance in Paradise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. Here's another chapter. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you're enjoying the story!  
> Like always it's not beta-read so feel free to point out any mistakes you see.

“And then there was singing….I don’t know who was singing but it was there always…” Sion rubbed his head. He could feel the beginnings of another headache. He had been getting them almost daily.

“I see.” His therapist wrote something in his notebook. “Were there any images you remember in the dream?

“No really.” Sion squinted in concentration. “It was all very blurry. All I really remember was that I was afraid and then the singing.”

“The singing made you afraid?”

“No” Sion closed his eyes. “I was afraid before the singing. Then I felt…comforted.” If he concentrated hard enough, he could hear the melody deep in his mind. Another pain jabbed in his forehead and he opened his eyes again.

“You seem to be in pain.” His therapist noted. “Is it the headaches again?”

“They’re getting worse.” Sion put his hand on his forehead. “Before, they only happened at night after a dream, but now-” Sion was interrupted by a commotion outside. Someone was having a loud conversation in the hall. Then there was a pause followed by the sound of a door slamming. Sion’s heart sank. One of the voices sounded like Nezumi’s. He had the feeling Nezumi had just bailed on his therapy session. The therapist seemed to have the same thought.

“Was that your boyfriend?”

“Sounded like it.” Sion gave him an apologetic look. “He doesn’t do well with therapy. Truthfully, I was surprised that he lasted this long.” It had been a month since they started. “I think he had alternate motives for going to therapy.”

“Alternat motives?” The therapist looked surprised. “What would those be?”

“I don’t know.” Sion shrugged. “But knowing him it seems likely.” It would also explain why he seemed to slowly be getting frustrated with each session.

“How did you meet your boyfriend?”

“We met…before No.6 was changed…uhhhh.” Sion looked down at his hands. “I don’t actually want to talk about it… I just want to figure out these dreams.”

“You don’t think Nezumi has anything to do with them?”

“No…yes? I don’t know.” Sion winced as another pulse of pain shot through his head. Sometimes the dreams would feel familiar as if Nezumi was there, but he had never actually seen Nezumi in them.

“I see.” The therapist wrote something in his in his notebook. Sion had the sudden impression that he thought Nezumi was somehow responsible for the dreams.

“He’s not the bad guy here.” Sion knew his voice was getting defensive. “He’s not abusive or anything. I’m not here to talk about him. I just want to talk about my dreams.”

“You said the dreams started after he returned, is that correct?”

“Yeah, but they only really started to get worse after I read the myth.”

The therapist hummed but didn’t look convinced. Sion felt frustrated. This wasn’t about Nezumi. He might have a part in all this, but he wasn’t the cause. He wondered how the therapist managed to connect the dreams to Nezumi. Whatever his reasoning it was really dragging down Sion’s mood.

Overall, it was not an enjoyable session. When it was finished, he found himself in a worse mood than when he arrived. It didn’t help to find Nezumi not waiting for him in the waiting room. He knew Nezumi had left but he still had foolishly hoped that it wasn’t his boyfriend who stomped off. As Sion walked down the street, he wondered why therapy wasn’t helping. Maybe he needed a new therapist? Surely these vivid dreams were because of all the horrible things he had experienced…granted none of them actually popped up in his dreams. It was all about that myth. Sion wished Nezumi never brought those copies home. Maybe if he had never read it, the dreams might not have become a problem

In any case, Sion was going to ask Nezumi if he wanted to stop going to therapy. It clearly wasn’t helping either of them. Sion sighed again as he turned a corner. Between the headaches and his work, he was stressing a lot. The only saving grace was that his and Nezumi’s relationship had gotten much better since that night watching Dog Keeper. They were back to their usual ways. Any time spent with Nezumi was time Sion got to forget his problems for a little while. Sion wished his headaches would also get better. They seemed to be getting worse along with the dreams.

As Sion wandered down the street he wondered where he should go. He didn’t feel like being alone right now. Nezumi probably wandered off somewhere to let out steam, so no one was at home. His mom was at the hospital with Dog Keeper whose condition got worse. She had started trying to escape during her hallucinations. He was at first surprised how much she could move even though she was sick but Nezumi said it was just a skill learned in the West District. After almost falling down the stairs Karan had brought Dog Keeper to the hospital. Visiting hours were over by now so Sion couldn’t do that. As he continued to wander, a soft voice said behind him.

“Sion is that you?”

Sion turned towards the voice. Standing by a lamppost was a woman. Sion took a step back in shock. This woman looked exactly as him. It wasn’t just that her eyes were red, or that her hair was white, or that she had a red ribbon on her skin that starting at her neck, it was her features. Her face was structured liked his. She was similar in height and body type. She could have been his long-lost twin sister.

“Do I know you?” Sion finally chocked out. The woman smiled sadly.

“Yes…or at least you did…once….I know you can’t remember right now” she held up a hand “and don’t try. It’ll make the headaches worse.” She took his arm. “We need to go. He wants to see you.”

Sion stepped away from her. He knew better than to just follow strangers. The woman looked confused.

“What’s wrong?”

“Who are you?” Sion tried to sound intimidating but instead, he just sounded curious. Something about her was familiar.

“My name is Marigold.” The woman said. A flurry of blurry images popped into Sion’s head followed by a pounding headache. Sion bent forward in pain. Her name meant something but he put his finger on it.

“Sion” the woman was in front of him gently pushing back his hair from his eyes. “Don’t think too hard about it. Let him explain it to you. He has all the answers you seek.”

Sion nodded weakly as he tried to clear his mind. After a few moments, then subsides a little and Sion found he could think clearly again.

“You know about these headaches. Do you also know about the dreams?”

“Yes.” Her eyes lit up. “I know all about them and why you’re getting them, but you have to come with me. He will explain everything.”

Sion hesitated for another moment then nodded. The woman grabbed his arm again and led him across the street. She brought him over to a tall man. Sion felt a chill. Something was off about him. He was wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a mask that covered his face. He watched them approach with stony silence. Was this the man Marigold was referring to? Marigold noticed Sion's concern and smiled encouragingly.

“It’s alright. He’s just a guard. He’s here to protect me and to make sure I don’t…wander away from my task.” Her eyes glanced behind Sion, towards the town. Sion saw a flicker of longing. He felt a twinge of sympathy, but he didn’t know why. Before he could dwell on it she shook herself and the look was gone.

“My task is to bring you to him. He knew you would feel more comfortable with another one of your kind. He also knew I would have a better chance of finding you. That’s the only reason I’m here. Once I’m done, I’ll go back.” Marigold seemed to be talking more to herself then Sion. He was starting to worry about who the “he” she kept referring to.

“Who are you bringing me to?”

“I can’t tell you here. You might not believe me. Once you see him, you’ll understand. He made you after all.”

Sion’s heart leaped as she began to pull him down the street again. The person who made him? Did that mean his father? His insides began to squirm at the thought. He had never met his father, nor knew anything about him. His mom never talked about him. Could this woman really be his long-lost sister? Sion shook his head. That didn’t make any sense. Sion was born with brown hair and eyes not white and red. She couldn’t be related.

The woman continued to drag him down one street to another. They were reaching the edge of No. 6. Sion wondered if they were going to leave it completely. If Nezumi knew what he was doing he would get angry. He always told Sion not to follow strangers, especially ones who wanted him to leave the city. It made sense, Sion knew he was doing something stupid, but he wanted answers. He just hoped Nezumi never found out.

“We’re almost there.” Marigold turned another corner and came to a small inn. Finally, she stopped. The Guard walked past her and entered the building. Sion’s nervousness was returning full force. Was his father really inside? Was this a trap?

“The guard will return in a moment. He is just going to tell him that we’re here. Then we can go inside.”

“Then what?” Sion fidgets nervously.

“Then he will talk to you and maybe….you will be able to come home.” Her expression became sorrowful. “We all miss you. What happened was horrible. We never expected…” She shook her head again.

Sion watched her, wishing he could read people as well as Nezumi. She knew him but he didn’t know her. She spoke of a home, but Sion didn’t know where that was. Before he could ask any of his questions the door open and the guard returned. Marigold nodded and pulled him in. They walked down a short hallway. Sion’s heart was hammering. His mind jumped around confusingly. He knew he was doing something stupid. He knew he was going to get answers. They stopped in front of one of the rooms. Marigold paused one more time then opened the door. Sion felt the guard push him inside and close the door behind them with a snap.

_A long time ago in a world forgotten by all…._

Nezumi was in a dilemma. In front of him were two objects he wanted to bring to Sion. The first one was a small journal, with an ink bottle and quill. The second one was a fancy hat that Nezumi thought would look good on Sion. He knew the Gardener would enjoy both gifts. Now that he was reading and writing, the journal would give Sion a place to put his thoughts. On the other hand, the hat was more unique. Sion never have seen a hat before. Nezumi could picture Sion’s excitement at getting a piece of clothing, after all, he only had his tunic. Nezumi knew he couldn’t buy both for him. Sion’s small bag of gifts was almost full. Soon it wouldn’t fit under the loose floorboard in the storage shed. Sion would need to find another place to hide it then. It was for this reason Sion never had any more than two books at a time. He always kept “The Children’s Book of Virtues” that Nezumi had given him and then borrowed a random book from Nezumi. Sion seemed to like the idea of borrowing. When he finished a book, he would ask Nezumi if he could borrow another one. Whenever Nezumi gave him another book the gardener would get incredibly happy.

“Could you hurry it up!” Wolf Whisperer snapped from behind him. “Gods you’re like an old housewife at the bakers. Just pick something already. I’m tired of seeing your ugly mug.”

Nezumi ignored her. After another minute of thinking, he finally decided on the journal. It would last Sion longer, besides, Nezumi had a bias towards books and writing. He picked it up and handed it to Wolf Whisperer.

“Is this cursed, blessed, or has anything else on it?”

“Nope. It’s just a piece of garbage some poor fairy sold to me. You could have bought it in a normal shop if you want.”

Nezumi ignored her again. He didn’t want to shop for Sion’s gifts anywhere else. The fewer people who knew he was buying gifts the better. Wolf Whisperer was many things but at least she knew how to keep her silence.

“How much?”

“5 gold pieces” Wolf Whisperer gave a toothy grin. Nezumi narrowed his eyes but kept the rest of his face blank.

“For this ‘piece of garbage’?” he asked.

“Buy it somewhere else. My store isn’t a gift store for your secret romance.”

“Alright then.” Nezumi turned around. “I’ll buy it somewhere else. I will also be taking my business there as well.” Wolf Whisperer growled in frustration.

“Stop making my life difficult. Fine 30 silver, happy?”

“Yes.” Nezumi allowed a small smug smile to cross his face as he paid up. Wolf Whisperer shot him a dirty look. Nezumi turned and left the store. Once he left, he hurried towards the garden, making sure to shield his presents from any spying wolves that may be nearby.

Nezumi knew something was wrong the second he tried to enter the Garden of Paradise. First, there were a lot more guards patrolling the area. The Garden’s guards were always problematic. They didn’t have faces, only helmets covering their heads. Instead of using sight, they sensed their enemies’ presents. If Nezumi was any worse at hiding his, he would definitely been caught and killed by now. Even so, Nezumi had to stand still every time one came into range. With so many of them around it took him an extra hour to maneuver into the garden.

The second thing Nezumi noticed were small thickly veiled creatures rushing around the garden. He recognized them from Sion’s description as scholars. This was the first time he actually saw them. Usually, they kept to themselves in the halls of the Earth God’s temples. Having so many about was unusually and another hindrance. Sion left out that they apparently had very good hearing. Nezumi had more than one close call when slinking past them. They would look around suspiciously if Nezumi so much as breathed too loudly.

The last thing he noticed was that the Gardeners were not doing their usual tasks. Instead, they were huddled in groups around the trees. Many of them were clinging to each other. Some were whispering in urgent voices. Some were just staring straight ahead confused and upset. They all had the same fearful tired expressions. This concerned Nezumi more than the other two things. Gardeners were rarely afraid. There was nothing in the garden to fear. It was a safe sheltered paradise. If the Gardeners were afraid then something happened here. Nezumi hoped that whatever scared them didn’t hurt Sion.

It was late afternoon when Nezumi finally found Sion. The Gardener was huddled between Marigold and Orchid, or at least Nezumi thought that was who there were. He still had a hard time telling Gardeners apart even after Sion pointed them out. Sion was staring blankly ahead. He definitely didn’t look happy but at least he wasn’t hurt. Nezumi climbed a tree and made a bird call. It was the signal to let Sion that he was there.

Sion’s heat snapped up and some life returned to his eyes. He quickly jumped up and excused himself from his comrades, who didn’t lookup. Then he hurried to their usual meeting place. Nezumi followed him in the trees.

“Nezumi?” Sion stopped once he got to the place. “That was you right?” Nezumi jumped down from the tree. The second Sion saw him, his face crumbled, and he gave a sob. Before Nezumi had time to react, Sion had launched himself into his arms. Usually Nezumi would have just pushed him away for invading his personal space. Today however was different. Sion was distressed and Nezumi saw that he needed comfort.

“What happened?”

“It was awful.” Sion trembled with fear. “One of our guests brought an assistant…Sometimes they do that. Anyways the assistant suddenly jumped up during a meal and tried to kill the Earth God.” Sion stared up at Nezumi. “He wouldn’t fall. No matter what the guards did he just kept moving. It was terrifying. Finally, they were able to keep him down, but many gardeners and a few scholars had been hurt by that point.” Sion shivered and closed his eyes tears leaking down. Nezumi ran a hand through his white hair. It must have been hard for someone who never saw pain before seeing his comrade injured.

“The guards threw the assistant in a storage room. We were tasked to bring him meals. Every time we did, however, he would try to escape. He would yell and scream at us and say awful things. Then he would get physical. He managed to hurt Rose and Alyssum, and-”

“Were you hurt.” Nezumi interrupted. Sion blinked.

“A little. He grabbed me by the hair and threw me against a wall. I’m fine though. Marigold bandaged me up.” Sion’s hand went down to his leg where Nezumi noticed a bandage peeking out.

At this sight, Nezumi felt anger bubble in his chest. It was cruel for the Earth God to send such defenseless creatures to feed a dangerous prisoner. He should have sent the guards at least. It didn’t matter if he had created them or not.

“After two days, the assistant started moaning and crying in pain.” Sion’s voice brought Nezumi out from his stewing thoughts. “We brought him medicine, but it didn’t seem to help. Nothing would calm him down. He became more violent. We were so afraid that only Dandelion would bring him food. He was always braver than the rest of us.” Sion’s voice became a whisper. “Then suddenly this morning the storage room was quiet.” He gulped. “When Dandelion brought food, he found him dead. The guards carted off the body…it was horrible…” Sion’s voice cracked again and he buried his head in Nezumi’s arms.

Nezumi continued to run his hand through Sion’s hair. It must have been hard for Sion to experience that. No wonder the gardeners were looking so down. He felt another rush of anger. The Earth God was an idiot. He knew how to deal with this sort of stuff. Anyone else would have called the Council of Gods and have the man carted away. It was clear that the Earth God was too prideful to admit he had a case of Epak in his “perfect garden.” Nezumi had no doubt in his mind that the assistant was under the influence of Epak. Thanks to his pride Sion had to suffer.

“It’s over now so tries to relax.” Nezumi finally said, hiding his anger. Sion looked up at him with fearful eyes.

“But what if it isn’t over? We don’t know why he acted like that or why suddenly died. His wounds were treated. There was no reason for it.” Sion gulped and lowered his voice “What if there’s an illness that made that happen? What if it affects us? What if we try to kill each other or die suddenly?”

“It won’t,” Nezumi said gently.

“How do you know.” Sion looked desperately up at Nezumi.

“He was under the influence a potion called Epak. It clouds a person’s mind and forces them to act against their will. If they fail the task, they were commanded to do they die.”

“That’s horrible!” Sion gasped. “Is there any way to cure it?”

“Who knows?” Nezumi shrugged. “Most die within a few days if they don’t complete their task. A few were put in a deep sleep to prolong the effects, but no one knows what happened to them. The Healer God and Goddess are very secretive.”

“Why does something that horrible even exist?

“There’s a lot of horrible things exist in the world Sion.” Nezumi paused. “But if it makes you feel better the Gods made Epak illegal.”

“Then why was the assistant under it?”

“Just because it’s illegal doesn’t mean people don’t try to get their hands on it.” Nezumi snorted. “There’s plenty of people who want something done, and they will do it by any means possible.”

“I see…” Sion seemed to deflate a little. “I guess I never realized how terrifying the outside word was until today…”

“It is a terrible place.” Nezumi agreed. Sion looked up at him thoughtfully.

“But I still believe there’s good in it. After all.” He gave a small smile “You’re from the outside world so it can’t be all that bad.”

Nezumi snorted. He was the worse example of “good” Sion could come up with. Most people saw the Thief God as another problem with the world. Many would call him vermin. He was the God that mothers warned their children about. Nezumi wouldn’t be surprised if there was a myth or rhyme about him in the human world warning children to be good or he'd snatches them up. To hear Sion proclaim him the reason the world was still good laughable. At the same time, it made him happy.

“You’ve had a very bad sample.”

“Maybe, but most of the guests that come here wouldn’t give me a second glance. You talked to me as an equal. You brought me bribes and gifts. You taught me about the world.” He gave a grateful smile. “Because of you, my world is bright.” He leaned into Nezumi’s arms still trembling. “That’s why I want to concentrate on you …not Epak.” Nezumi sighed.

“If you say so.” He pulled Sion down, so they were both sitting next to each other.

“Relax and close your eyes.

Sion shot him a curious look before obeying. Once his eyes were closed Nezumi leaned in close to him and began singing. It was a soft song; he couldn’t be loud, or someone might hear. It was a song about a mountain and a young goat who explored it. It was nothing more than a lullaby, but the melody was sweet and soon the tenseness in Sion’s shoulder’s vanished and he leaned against Nezumi. They sat there together following the goat in his childish adventures, far away from the horrors of the real world.

========

Ever since that day, Nezumi noticed that something changed in their relationship. Whatever rule that kept them from touching each other was gone. Sion started greeting Nezumi with a hug every time they met. Nezumi sometimes lay in Sion’s lap and listened while the Gardner practice his reading. Sion on multiple occasions fell asleep leaning against Nezumi. Nezumi even let Sion braid flowers in his hair once. He then forgot to take it out and had to endure Wolf Whisperer’s laughter.

Nezumi didn’t know what to do with this new development, so he chose to ignore it. He was ignoring a lot of his feeling towards Sion. He ignored his interest in Sion when they first met, after all, he never met a created creature who disobey his master’s order. Nezumi ignored his feelings after their second meeting when he declared he would return. He ignored his feeling now.

It was easier to just enjoy his double life. His life in the garden consisted of long conversations reading and gardening. Nezumi was planning on starting a small medical herb garden at his home since the price of medicine was getting ridiculously high and he was tired of breaking into The Hospital of Light every time he needed to restock. What kept him from starting it before was that he was rarely home. Sion knew how to fix that and showed Nezumi what he needed to get to make his garden last even when he wasn’t around. Nezumi also started telling Sion stories of his adventures, as well as general stores about the outside world. He had never shared his stories but found he didn’t mind telling some of them to Sion. Lastly, they would read together. Sometimes one of them would read out loud while the other listened. Sometimes both would read silently. The hardest part was that Sion could only spare a couple of hours a day from work and both had to keep their voices low.

When he wasn’t in the garden, his life continued as normal. There were only three differences. One was his small garden. The second was Wolf Whisperer’s slowly growing frustration that she couldn’t figure out who Nezumi’s “friend” was. Nezumi was on the lookout for things Sion might want.

In the back of Nezumi’s mind, he was aware that this newfound relationship couldn’t last forever. Sion was always going to be bound by the garden. Nezumi had many better places to be. At some point the trips would become more tedious then they were worth. He might get bored with Sion. It would be hard to always visit the exact same place that never changed. Nezumi pushed those thoughts away. He would deal with that when the time came. Then he would cut things off.

That time came quicker than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annd that's it!
> 
> Feel free to yell at me in the comments. Till next time.


	5. The Task/ A Parting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it! Once again this story is not beta-read so feel free to point out any mistakes.

Sion stared at the man before him. He wasn’t like anything he had ever seen before. The man was extremely tall with long green hair, that had vines weaved throughout it, forming a crown. His eyes were the same piercing plant green at his hair. Sion would say it was a well-done costume if it wasn’t for the strange aura the man was emanating. It made him seem even more impressive than he already was. Sion knew he wasn’t human.

“Have a seat.” The man indicated a chair across from him. His voice was surprisingly soft for a man so large. Marigold nudged him and Sion realized he was staring. He quickly sat down. It was quite for a moment then Sion blurted out,

“Who are you? What are you?”

The man scowled at him. Sion shrunk back a little. For some reason, he knew he shouldn’t have spoken first. Something inside of him was making him feel guilty. The man paused then smiled gently.

“As curious as ever I see. You should be more careful though. It was your curiosity that led you to your demise.”

“W-what?”

“To answer questions, I am the Earth God.” He looked down at Sion who felt a chill of surprise.

“Like in the myth about the Gardener and Thief God?” Sion’s eyes widened. “It’s real?!”

“That is correct.”

“I’ve been having dreams about it.” Sion leaned in eagerly. “Do you know why?”

“Those are your suppressed memories slowly returning.”

“Suppressed memories?” Sion frowned. “But why am I getting them? I don’t have anything to do with the myth.”

“I see so you have not discovered the truth yet.” The Earth God surveyed him for a moment before continuing. “You are the Gardener from the myth. My Gardener. I created you to tend the Garden of Paradise.”

“I’m the Gardener?!” Sion’s mouth fell open. It was so absurd but for some reason made perfect sense. Sion felt like he had known it all along but had forgotten. It was like pieces of a puzzle clicking into place. “Then the myth is real.”

“Yes, the myth is real.” The Earth God sighed. “You were a curious creature. I should have kept a better watch on you. If I had, you would not have been ensnared by the Thief God.” He watched Sion closely. “Have you learned anything from your past life through these dreams?” Sion shook his head.

“Every time I try to remember my head hurts.” Sion touched his forehead gingerly. “I mostly just get burry images, sounds, and sometimes feelings.”

“Then it is still working, I’m pleased.” The Earth God relaxed. “I placed a block on your memories. The headaches are keeping them for returning. While you do not have memories, you have a mortal’s body. You are not bound to the Garden. Once your memories return, however, if you are not in the garden, you will die.” He frowned slightly, “ The suppression will not last forever, you are still slowly getting your memories back. Once they fully return you will have to leave the mortal realm and live in the Garden.” Sion’s face fell. He didn’t like the idea of living in the garden. He didn’t want to leave Nezumi or his mother. He had people he loved here. The idea of never seeing them again hurt. Why couldn’t he have just been a normal human? Why did he have to be the recantation of some kidnapped Gardener? At that thought, something occurred to him.

“What happened to the Thief God? Was he reborn too?”

“He was. I have no doubt in my mind that he is somewhere in this city. His memories are returning as well. He might even know who he is already.” At the Earth God's words, Sion’s blood went cold.

“Does that mean he’ll try to kill me again?”

“Unfortunately, yes. He is furious about what happened. You, a small insignificant Gardner, managed to stab him. He is not going to rest until he exacts his revenge. ” The Earth God noticed Sion’s expression and continued gently. “All is not lost young one. You have an advantage. As long as you keep all this a secret, he will not harm you.” The Earth God leaned forward and placed a hand on Sion’s shoulder. “He likes you vulnerable and weak. If he finds that your memory has not returned, he will want to claim you as his own again. His greed outweighs his anger. As long as he thinks he can control you, you are safe from his wrath.” His expression darkened, “But be warned, dealing with the Thief God is dangerous. He is very cunning. He already took advantage of your curiosity once and he will try again in order to control you. If you are not careful, he will whisk you away like he did so many years go. Do not let yourself be swayed, Sion.”

“But.” Sion gulped. “What am I going to do then? If he comes for me, and I pretend not to know anything, he’ll still kidnap me. If I keep pushing him off, he’ll eventually figure out that I already know. Isn’t there a way to stop him? Can you tell me who he is or where he is?”

“I do not know his name. In the immortal realm, names are valuable. Most of us call each other by our titles. The Thief God guards his name as greedily as his treasure. I doubt there are many who know what his real name is. As to where the Thief God is hiding, I cannot say.”

“But you can find him, right?” Sion pressed on. “like how you found me.”

“I only found you because the other Gardeners began to sense your waking memories. Even then it took us a while. I do not know where the Thief God is. I cannot tell you what he looks like either. I never saw him before. Most have not. He kept himself well hidden. After the tragedy struck and I lost you. I searched for information on the Thief God. I found many stories; each containing a fraction of the truth, but non the whole story.” The Earth God removed his hand and patted Sion on the head. “Don’t be afraid little Gardner. I have a plan for you. If any stranger approaches you and tries to steal you away with sweet words, question him. See if he let slip something about the past.

“And then what?”

“Then.” The Earth God beckoned, and Marigold approached holding a knife on a silver tray. The Earth God picked it up and held it out. “You must finish him yourself.” Sion’s eyes widened and he stepped back.

“N-no I can’t!”

“There is no time for this childish behavior!” the Earth God’s eyes flashed. “What do you think is going to happen if he is not killed? Do you think he will let you live? He stole you once and he will do it again. You made the choice to follow him outside the garden all those years ago, now you have to deal with the real-life consequences. I cannot shield you from reality anymore.”

“Can’t you kill him!?”

The Earth God’s face twisted into a look of fury for a second before calming again.

“It is impossible for anyone to get near enough to kill him.” He looked Sion straight in the eyes. “You were the only one who was able to get close to him. I would not ask this of you, if I could do it. I do not like giving such tasks to my Gardeners. You were never meant to be a murder, you were meant to tend plants.” He gave a small smile. “You have the advantage this time around. He does not have your crystal. He cannot t hurt you if you strike first. Finish the job and return home.”

Home. It took Sion a moment to realize that the Earth God was referring to the Garden. Sion’s spirits sank as he played with the hem of his shirt. He knew the Earth God was not going to like his next question, but he needed to ask it anyway.

“Can’t I stay with my mother? If I do…kill the Thief God.” He shivered slightly. “Then would it possible to stay on Earth.” At Sion’s words, the Earth God’s expression darkened. Marigold took a step back. Sion pulled away slightly as well. It felt like all the warmth was drawn from the room. The Earth God put the knife back on the silver tray with trembling hands, his face twisting. For a moment Sion thought he was going to yell. Then he took a deep breath and his face went back to neutral. The warmth returned to the room and Marigold relaxed a little.

“No, you cannot stay here. You will die if you’re not in the Garden.”

“But the crystal-“

“I do not know how the Thief God made the crystal nor I do I have time to look into it.” He sounded impatient. Sion closed his mouth and looked around for support. The Guard stood motionless by the door and Marigold stood in a corner her eyes downcast and expression blank. They didn’t seem like they would be much help. As Sion looked at Marigold a thought suddenly occurred to him.

“Isn’t Marigold a Gardner as well?” Sion guessed. “If she’s outside the Garden, doesn’t that mean she has a crystal?”

“No. I used a bit of my soul to bind her to me.” He noticed Sion’s face lighten up and continued in an annoyed tone. “It is extremely exhausting work to do so, and I will not repeat it in the future.” Sion looked disheartened.

“Are you sure?” He asked weakly. The instant the words were out of his mouth he knew he had pushed it too far. What little patients the Earth God had vanished, and anger flared in his eyes. He stood up, drawing himself to his full impressive height. The warmth was sucked from the room again. Sion shivered and shrunk back as the Earth God loomed over him.

“You are my creation.” He boomed his voice powerful and commanding. “I made you work in the Garden. That is the reason you exist. This curiosity of yours killed you once. I would suggest that you get rid of it or else you will find yourself in more peril.” He pointed a figure at Sion. “Do as I command. Find and kill the Thief God.” He glared fiercely at Sion. “Do you understand?” Sion could do nothing but nod weakly. The Earth God seemed satisfied. He calmed down and everything returned to normal.

“I know it is overwhelming.” His voice was soft and gentle again. “The task I am giving you is a hard one. This is the only way for you to survive. He will do anything to get to you, even if that means hurting your loved ones. If you cannot kill him for yourself, then do it for the mortals you are attached to. Afterward, return home to the Garden. It will be hard at first, but the Gardeners are your family. They will take care of you and, over time, you will forget about the horrors of the outside world. When you finished the task, I gave it to you, pick a leaf off of a tree and call for Marigold. She will hear it and I will send someone to retrieve you.” 

Sion didn’t say anything. He felt as if he would never speak again. His mind and body were frozen. He couldn’t feel anything anymore. His mind was blank. The Earth God gave Sion one more gentle look and then turned away.

“We must leave now. Take care, Gardner.” With that, he vanished along with Marigold and the Guard. Sion was left alone in the small room. He stood there paralyzed his mind thawed. Soon unwanted thoughts began bouncing around his head. He sunk to the ground and, burying his face in his hands. He felt drained. No matter how he looked at it, he was going to have to return to the Garden. Getting his memories back was a death sentence. He didn’t want to die. Even so it hurt to think he would be leaving his loved ones so soon. Sion gulped as his eyes filled with tears. Why was it that every time he tried to be with Nezumi something pulled them apart? Why couldn’t they be happy? Why couldn’t things be stable?

Sion’s watering eyes drifted around the room until they fell on the knife. Another pain of despair filled him. He had almost forgotten about his task. He had to find and kill someone. He didn’t want to. He hated the idea that he had to pretend to be nice in order to murder this guy. It made him sick. If he didn’t though, Thief God would go after his mom or Nezumi. Nezumi was a good fighter, Sion knew this, but he doubted that even Nezumi could stand up to a god.

“I won’t let them get hurt,” Sion said out loud to the empty room. “I won’t let the Thief God hurt my mom or Nezumi. I won’t let him take me away.” He stood up with a new sense of determination. He didn’t like the idea much but if it was the only way he would do it. Sion marched forward and took the knife. He was going to find the Thief God and then kill him before it was too late.

_A long time ago in a world forgotten by all…._

It started with a strange dream.

_Sion was standing by the wall of the Garden waiting for Nezumi. He waited and waited. The sun rose and set as days flew past. Still, Sion waited. The Garden burst into bloom then withered and died, before bursting into bloom again, yet Nezumi did not come. The Gardeners played in the rain their song drifting over the trees, but Sion didn’t join them. Instead, he stayed rooted to the spot, waiting. The Gardeners all picked fruit, while their laughter filled the air but still Sion waited. He waited and waited but Nezumi returned._

_And Sion waited there forever._

Sion woke with a start. He sat up in his small cot shaking slightly. Gardner’s dreams were usually very simple. They dreamt of flowers and bees. They dreamt of rain and bird song. They dreamt of fruit and the sound of the wind through the trees. This however was greatly different. To start he was in his own dream as well as the other Gardeners. He felt things and thought things in his dream, instead of just observing. Then there was the overall feeling of unease and sadness. Nothing bad had happened. He had just waited for Nezumi, yet Sion woke to feel worried.

Sion shook his head and lay back down. Nezumi had said creatures from the outside world had strange complicated dreams, some even connecting to their current feelings. Perhaps it was like that. Sion always wanted to have an outsider’s dream, but not one that left his feeling empty. Sion decided he didn’t like it much. He would ignore it and eventually forgetting about it.

It almost worked. As weeks past and the Gardeners began counting the fruit they picked for the Great Harvest, Sion started to forget about his dream. He spent each day laughing and singing as he counted the fruit. This Great Harvest turned out to be a special one. He was tasked to report to the Scholars the exact amount of fruit. This was a great honor and filled him with pride.

Then, the night after the Great Harvest he had the same dream again…

Then again two days later

Then again a week after that…..

Each time the dreams made it harder for Sion to ignore his feelings. As they continued, he found that things that used to make him happy weren’t doing so anymore. He was losing interest in his tasks and didn’t share his comrades’ excitement. Sion stopped pretending the dreams didn’t exist and started trying to figure them out.

He started to notice a pattern with them. They only seemed to happen whenever Nezumi was gone for too long. When Sion started to miss Nezumi greatly the dreams started to creepy in his head. He also noticed that if he took out his bag of items, now hidden under a pile of mulch, and look through them, some of the sadness would leave him. These items were the only things he had of the outside world. They connected him to a reality he could not see. They didn’t, however, get rid of the dreams.

As the dreams continued Sion started to feel trapped by the Garden walls. It was suffocating him. For the first time, he didn’t just wonder what was on the other side, he wanted to see it. This had never happened before. The Garden was his world. Now he found that he wanted a new world even though he could never have it.

It took an extremely vivid and sad version of the dream for Sion to finally understand them. He had woken up with tears streaming in his eyes and a pit in his stomach. As he sat there in the dark, he realized that he didn’t only missing Nezumi, he was afraid. He was worried that Nezumi would disappear one day and never return. He was afraid that he would be waiting forever for Nezumi. Sion shook his head and lay back down. That would never happen. Nezumi would never abandon him.

_“Why not?”_ A little voice in his head asked mockingly. In the dark, his thoughts were too loud. Sion couldn’t ignore them like he did during the day. _“What’s stopping him from leaving you when he gets tired of breaking into the Garden. Don’t forget, this garden is well protected. It takes time even for Nezumi to get in here. That must be tiring. And what is in here that he wants so badly. The Garden doesn’t change. You can’t change. This place is frozen. Nezumi’s world is always moving. He will eventually move on.”_

The pit in Sion’s stomach grew heavier and started to feel nauseous. Nezumi could leave him anytime and Sion would never know.

After a little while of lying in the dark Sion’s worried thoughts turned to anger. Nezumi had changed him. He had made Sion become his own being. Sion was no longer just one of the Gardeners, he was different. When the Thief God gave him that book, it had made Sion feel important and independent. After that, the guilty feeling he carried started to disappear. He no longer felt like it was his duty to protect the garden. It was like something was severed. Nezumi did that to him. He should take responsibility for it.

_“But you chose to take the book in the first place.”_ The voice in his head was back. _“You knew the second he held it that you were changing. Why didn’t you throw it away? If you ignored Nezumi he would have left. You can’t expect him to keep visiting you just because you think he owes you. Do you want to become his pity case?”_

Sion knew it was true. Sion knew there was no way around it. He was going to become a burden to Nezumi. He was going to be abandoned someday. No matter how he looked at it they were going to be pulled apart. Sion buried his head in his pillow and gave a muffled cry. Why was it that something had to pull them apart? Why couldn’t they be happy? Why couldn’t things be stable? Sion knew there was only one thing left to do.

He had to break off his connections with Nezumi and the outside world before it’s was too late.

It took two months for Nezumi to visit. Sion looked up when he heard the bird call which told him that the Thief God was here. It usually made his heart leap; now however it made his stomach churned. This was it. This would be the last time he was going to see Nezumi. After this he would never get to hear the Thief God speak, sing, laugh or scoff again. He would never see Nezumi smile, frown, glare, or any of his other emotions. Sion forced himself to go to their usual meeting place. Each step felt like he was carrying a great weight. When he arrived, he found Nezumi waiting for him. The second Nezumi saw his expression he raised an eyebrow, frowning slightly.

“What’s wrong with you? Usually, you practically run into my arms when we meet.”

Sion didn’t speak. He wasn’t quite sure if he could at this moment. He wanted to stare at Nezumi forever. He wanted to take in every detail of him from the way his hair framed his face to how his hand rested by his side. Perhaps if he memories him, he would be able to carry an image of Nezumi for the rest of his existence.

“Did something happen?” Nezumi’s frowned deepened and he took a step forward. “Are you alright.” Sion took a hasty step back. Nezumi paused his hand out straight. Sion took a deep breath and spoke.

“I don’t think I…no I don’t _want_ to see you anymore.” Sion’s voice sounded weak even to his own ears. “Please leave and don’t come back.” Nezumi blinked in confusion for a moment before dropping his hand. A smirk slowly crossed his face.

“Ah, we’re doing this again. Let me guess” he tapped his chin thoughtfully, “If I don’t leave now, you’re going to call the guards, right?” He rolled his eyes, “Please Sion we both no you won’t do it.”

“You’re right I won’t call the guards on you.” Sion’s voice was barely over a whisper. “It’s not for the Garden’s sake that I want you to leave, it’s for my own sake.” He stared Nezumi in the eyes, pleading silently for him to understand. Nezumi’s smirked faded replaced with a confused expression.

“You’re serious about this.” He concluded. “Why?”

“This can’t last forever. You’ll get bored. This place can’t change.” Sion was choking. Each word felt like needles stabbing his throat. Nezumi froze his eyes widened. He stiffened and opened his mouth as if he wanted to speak. Then closed it again. Sion saw a flicker of something behind his eyes before his face relaxed. An unnatural amused smile graced his lips.

“You are getting smarter. I’m surprised you figured that out.”

Sion couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Figure it out? Did Nezumi already know this couldn’t last? Then why didn’t he break it off sooner? How long was he planning on playing this game? Was Sion really just a toy to him?

“Why didn’t you break it off?”

“Why would I when I was having so much fun.” The smile turned cruel. Nezumi clenched his fists his face becoming mask-like.

“I don’t believe you.” Sion didn’t want to hear this. This wasn’t the Nezumi he knew. Nezumi was kind. He helped Sion when he was feeling down. He taught Sion how to read. Some of what he was thinking must have shown on his face because Nezumi threw back his head and laughed wildly.

“You seem to be misunderstanding me. I’m the Thief God. I go where I want, take what I want, and do what I want. When I’m done, I leave.” His mask cracked slightly, and Sion saw a glimpse of sadness in his eyes. Nezumi turned around quickly. “You have been very entertaining up to now, but I guess this is the end. I will grant your request and leave. We won’t be seeing each other again.” He waved his hand over his shoulder without turning to face Sion “Bye.”

And that was it.

Sion stood there frozen as Nezumi vanished through the bushes. He couldn’t believe it was over. After a good thirty minutes, he minds caught up to him. He sunk to the ground and, burying his face in his hands. He cried loudly to the sky not carrying if anyone heard him. If you had asked Sion many years ago what pain felt like, he would have said it was scrapping your knee. If you had ask Sion many years later what pain felt like, he would say it was being attacked by the assistant under Epak. Now however he truly understood what pain felt like. Pain was a feeling that spread across your chest and made it ache so badly that you thought your heart would burst. Pain made you cry and cry until your grief felt endless. Pain was a hole in your heart where someone used to be but will never be again. Pain was the realization that the walls entrapping you will never let you go. Pain was when the lights go out and hope dies.

\---

Nezumi always knew their time together would end but he didn’t expect it to end so fast. He did his best to hide his shock and pain behind arrogance. If he shut Sion down and acted like it didn’t hurt, then the pain would fade faster. Losing face in front of the Gardener wouldn’t help either of them. This couldn’t last, Sion was right. It was best if they broke it off quickly. If Nezumi showed any sign of regret Sion would feel bad. It was better for him to hate Nezumi so it would be easier to forget. Nezumi benefited by not losing face. He didn’t show weakness at the end. Sion had nothing on him.

It was never going to last.

It was going to end, and it was better that it ended sooner then later….

So why did Nezumi feel so lost?

Sion had wised up. That should be a good thing. Sion did what he had been avoiding. It made life easier for Nezumi if Sion was the one who broke it off. It meant Nezumi didn’t need to explain to the Gardner why they had to stop meeting. This was the fastest way it could happen.

Nezumi stopped walking and slid down a tree. Now that he was outside the garden, he found that his energy had deserted him. His heart pounded in his chest and his arms and legs felt heavy. His mind on the other hand was extremely active. Nezumi concentrated on his loud thoughts. If it got to quiet, he could still hear the sounds of Sion’s sobs echoed through his mind.

He had never heard Sion cry like that. Before he came into Sion’s life the Gardner never had anything to cry about. He didn’t know pain or betrayed. Nezumi had taught him those things. Nezumi had built him up and then broke him. The thought made him feel disgusted with himself.

_“Stop this! This is not going to solve anything.”_ Nezumi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to get over this. It was ridiculous. He was the Thief God. He did what he wanted to, and he wanted to forget about Sion. Nezumi opened his eyes with a new determination. As he did, he felt something wet against his arm and almost groaned. All he needed to complete his foul mood would be rain. Looking up however he was surprised to see a clear sky. Where did the water come from? The answer came to him as soon as he put his hand on his cheek.

Tears.

Nezumi touched the tears in shock. He hadn’t cried since he was abandoned as a child. His first dose of cruel reality and his last day of childhood innocents were marked by those tears. Now they flowed ones again for the Gardner he left behind.

What did it mean that he was crying? Did he really get that attached to Sion? The idea was crazy. He never got attached to anything or anyone. It was the only way to live completely free. Getting attached always lead to unnecessary burdens. Sion was an unnecessary burden. He was better off without him.

Nezumi forced himself to stand up his heart pounding. Could he really do it? Could he really forget about Sion? Was it too late? Was he too attached?

_“I have to move on.”_ Nezumi thought bitterly _“As long as Sion is stuck in the garden our relationship won’t be permanent. I can’t keep doing this forever. It will hurt us both in the long run if I return.”_ The image of Sion’s hurt expression and the sound of Sion’s weeping filled his head again and he shivered. He didn’t want to hurt Sion, but this was for the best. Sion couldn’t leave. There was no way for this to end happily. As long as Sion was stuck in the garden nothing could change.

As long as Sion is stuck in the Garden…

An idea hit Nezumi. It was so absurd, so strange he had to pause to think it over. Could it really be done? Could he really do it? Was it even possible? It would take time and would involve a lot of blackmail and calling in favors. He might actually have to owe someone a favor by the end. It would cost him a lot. Still…it was possible. A thrill ran down Nezumi’s spine as his mood improved. His energy returned full-fledged and he started forward with a purpose. This would be his biggest challenge yet. It was something no one had ever done, had ever tried. It would both shock to the Earth God as well as fixing his little problem. Nezumi smirked as he walked down the path again.

He was going to steal himself a Gardner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for now! Thoughts? theories? Ideas? Rants? A series of garbled nonsense? I would love to hear them all! Feel free to leave a comment.


	6. Paranoia/ To Steal a Gardner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy everyone! I'm back. Here's the next chapter. I hope it came out alright. Thanks again for all the support for this story. Anyways feel free to point out any mistakes I might have missed.  
> On with the story!

For the next three weeks, Sion was on the lookout for the Thief God. The man, however, didn’t seem to what to show himself. It put Sion on edge. Every time someone talked to him, he would tense up. Normal acts of kindness such as someone holding open a door or politely saying “excuse me” made Sion feel uneasy. He couldn’t tell if they were just being nice or if they were the Thief God. His paranoia was making it, so every single person seemed suspicious. He was no better at work. Sion had started avoiding his coworkers. Many of them had shown interest in him after all. Before he thought they were just being friendly. Now, however, he saw it as creepy. Nezumi was right. He had to be more aware of other’s intentions. What if one of them was the Thief God? Even his mother’s barker didn’t soothe his nerves. It was full of strangers who seemed to be watching his every move. He found himself jumping every time someone opened the door.

The only place he felt most comfortable at was his home. When it was only Nezumi and him he let his guard down. Home was the only place he knew he wouldn’t find the Thief God in. When it was just him and Nezumi reading together he temporally forgot about being the Gardener. It was his only comfort. Sion found it harder and harder to leave the house each day. He just wanted to snuggle up with Nezumi and forget about the whole myth.

“Sion”

Sion felt a stab of pain hit his forehead. He blinked as he came back to reality. In front of him stood Nezumi his fingers pulled back, ready to flick Sion’s forehead again. Sion jumped away and covered the sore area. 

“Did you just flick my forehead?”

“You spaced out again.” Nezumi dropped his hand and started down the street. “You need to stop doing that.”

“Shut up,” Sion grumbled, rubbed his stinging forehead as he followed Nezumi down the street. They were going food shopping together. Usually, Sion loved food shopping with Nezumi. It was fun to pick out meals with his boyfriend. Nezumi was better at finding all the sales and deals then Sion. Today however he wished he were still at home. The short five-minute walk was giving him anxiety and he kept looking back over his shoulder.

“Alright what’s wrong,” Nezumi asked in irritation after Sion glanced back for the tenth time. “You’ve been extremely tense these last three weeks. I know we agreed to stop therapy but if you still need it, you can go without me.”

“No!” Sion said quickly. “Sorry, It’s just that…uh…never mind.” Nezumi narrowed his eyes. Sion hurried forwards trying to ignore the guilty feeling in his stomach.

He had decided, the second he left the meeting with the Earth God, not to drag Nezumi into his mess. Nezumi had chosen to return to Sion, the last thing he probably wanted was to be part of some mythical tragedy. It was Sion’s own problem, not Nezumi’s. He would not cause his boyfriend any grief. Nezumi had suffered enough. This time Sion would deal with his problems by himself and not go crying to Nezumi every time he needed help.

“Sion.” Nezumi reached out and grabbed Sion’s arm. “Wait.” His voice was gentle, almost guilty. “Are you acting this way because of me? Am I doing it again? I said I would try to communicate with you better, but I keep getting caught in my research.” Sion turned around to face his boyfriend. He had completely forgotten how aloof Nezumi had been acting. The Earth God’s meeting pushed everything out of his mind. Now that he thought about it, Nezumi had been making a conscious effort to communicate with Sion. Although he was probably still hiding many things, Nezumi still made time for his boyfriend. It was more then what Sion was doing. Sion gulped down his rising emotions. He didn’t want to be a burden to Nezumi but there he was, trying to suppress Sion’s dreams for him. Sion couldn’t ask for more than that.

“No, it’s my fault….I’ve been out of it lately.”

“It is because of the dreams?” Nezumi pulled back Sion’s hair to pear into his eyes. “Have they been getting worse? I’m still looking for a way to suppress them.” Sion’s eyes widened. He had forgotten that Nezumi was trying to stop the dreams. If Nezumi could suppress them, then maybe his memories wouldn’t come back. He would still have to kill the Thief God but at least he could stay with Nezumi and his mother. The world suddenly seemed brighter. There was a solution to at least half of his problems. A warm sensation filled Sion. He really had the best boyfriend ever.

“Do you want my help?” Sion asked eagerly. Nezumi looked surprised at his sudden interest.

“Sure.” He finally said shrugging. “If you want to.” Sion beamed as they started walking again.

“How about this. I’ll go shopping on my own and you continue your research.” Now that Sion wanted his memories suppressed, he wanted Nezumi to spend as much time on it as possible.

“Didn’t you read the news?” Nezumi gave him a look. Sion shook his head confused.

“Did something happen?”

“There’s been wolf sightings. According to the article, there haven’t been wolves in this area since before No. 6. Most people are scared”

“But they won’t come into the city.” Sion pointed out “And it’s not like I’m going to be attacked by one.”

“Two of them were seen near the City Hospital.”

Sion’s eyes widened in shock. That was strange. Sion remembered reading that wolves didn’t like to be near people. Why were they suddenly appearing downtown? This went against their nature. Was there a lack of food that was forcing them to enter the city? And why hadn’t _he_ heard of it? Wasn’t it his job as part of the City committee to deal with these problems? How did he miss something so important? He should have read it on a report.

_“When was the last time I asked for a report at work.”_ Sion thought suddenly. _“I’ve been so busy avoiding my coworkers that I haven’t been doing my job.”_ The realization hit him like a sack of bricks. Sion had been so focused on trying to spot the Thief God that he was neglecting his duty. He could smack himself. This whole mess was slowly driving him crazy.

“Sion.” Nezumi’s voice rang out irritated. Sion jumped and turned to find Nezumi scowling at him “I just told you to stop spacing out. You almost ran into someone.”

Sion turned back around to find a young man standing right in front of him. He looked to be around Sion’s age, if not a little bit younger.

“Sorry,” Sion muttered. The man smiled easily.

“It’s cool man.”

Was its Sion’s imagination or was there’s a flicker of recognition in the man’s eyes. Sion tensed up Could he be the Thief God? He was around Sion’s age and could be considered charming. He was at least easy going. Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence that he was standing there, and Sion just happened to run into him. The man’s smile faded at Sion’s long cold stare.

“Are you ok?”

“Fine.” It came out harsher than he intended. The man stepped back, putting up his hands in defense.

“Sorry.” He muttered and hurried around him. Sion watched him retreat, eyes narrowed.

“What was that all about?” Nezumi asked incredulously. “Did you know him.”

“No.” the man turned the corner and Sion relaxed a little.

“Then what was up with that reaction.”

Sion flushed red. Now that the man wasn’t around, he realized he had overreacted. Nezumi was watching him. Sion couldn’t tell if he was worried or amused.

“He just….ug.” Sion rubbed the side of his head and started walking quickly. This was getting out of hand. First, he stopped reading reports at work and now he was treating everyone like criminals. Before he tried to suppress his memories, he needed to find Thief God. If he could do that all of this anxious would fade.

“Hey,” Nezumi called out as he tried to catch up with his boyfriend. Sion ignored him, too deep in thought. As long as he didn’t know who the Thief God was, life was going to be difficult. He needed to find him instead, of waiting. The question was how.

_“Maybe I could trick him into saying something that only the Thief God would know.”_ Sion rallied at that thought before his mood fell again. The only way to do that would be to look through his own suppressed memories. If he tried to remember,r the pounding headaches would return. Sion shivered at that thought.

“Sion stops.” Nezumi grabbed his arm and turned him around. “Alright enough of this. What’s going on.” Nezumi gave him a stern look. Sion knew they weren’t going anywhere until he explained himself.

“It’s nothing.” He muttered trying to avoid eye contact. Nezumi’s expression hardened.

“Why are you like this?” His expression turned concerned. “Please Sion.” Sion felt his heartache. Nezumi was worried about him. Sion looked his boyfriend straight in the eyes and made up his mind. He would search for his memories to find the Thief God.

“I just have some things on my mind. I’m working it out though” he said gently. Nezumi didn’t budge.

“I know it’s more than that. You’re hiding something.”

“So are you.” Sion raised an eyebrow. Nezumi held his gaze for a second longer then looked away.

“You’re getting better at this,” he grumbled. “Before you wouldn’t have held your ground.” He sighed. “Fine, you’re right I’m keeping things from you.”

“I guessed as much.” Sion smiled a little. “But I didn’t ask since I knew you would tell me when you’re ready, just like I will tell you when I’m ready.” Nezumi paused then said.

“Alright then.” He let go of Sion’s arm.

“Just keep trying to find a way to suppress the memori- I mean dreams.” Sion put his arm on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “That’s all I need.” Nezumi made a small sound and started down the street again. Sion followed him. After a minute Nezumi looked back.

“Let’s hold hands.”

“What?” Sion said surprised. Nezumi usually didn’t hold hands in public.

“You’ve been out of it so it would be better if you stayed close to me.” He smirked. “Unless you enjoy running into people.”

“Jerk,” Sion grumbled as he took Nezumi’s hand. Still, he was grateful for it. Walking hand in hand with Nezumi made him feel safe. Between his new plan to find the Thief God and Nezumi’s research on memory suppression, Sion was feeling lighter than had for a while.

\---

_A long time ago in a world forgotten by all…._

For the next two years, Nezumi was extremely busy. First, he had to research created creatures and how they were bound to a single soul. Then he had to find a way to separate a bit of that soul from its source. After that, he had to figure out what he needed to make sure Sion got out safely.

Then came time to actually make a container to hold a piece of a soul. He stole enchanted crystals from the Ice Giants. He blackmailed the Golden Glassmith into making a crystal sphere out of it. Next, he bribed the Fire Witch of the North Sky with silk stolen from her sister, to enchant the crystal sphere so it could hold a soul. Lastly, he went to the Forest God to get some wax. Nezumi had to owe it a favor in order to get some.

Once Nezumi had all the right equipment, he was ready to steal a bit of the Garden’s Soul. This was the hardest part. The Earth God wouldn’t want anyone to know where it is. It took Nezumi almost a week of searching the garden. Finally, he found the entrance under a heavily guarded trap door. The trap door was pretty innocent looking. At first glance, it looked like an underground storage room with a few guards stationed outside. Nezumi however wasn’t fooled. He could feel the traps set around them. Anyone who got near would be killed instantly. Lucky Nezumi was extremely good at avoiding traps. He took his time and eventually he got to the door. Pulling it slightly open he slinked in. Inside he found a long winding dark tunnel that was also heavily guarded. This part was harder than Nezumi had anticipated. In the narrow tunnel, it was almost impossible to get around the guards. He had to crawl and climb the walls to get past each of them. Nezumi didn’t know how long he was down there but it must have been a while. He had brought enough food to last him a month, but near the end of the tunnel, he was running low. As Nezumi got further down the tunnel he noticed there were fewer and fewer guards present. There could be two possible explanations for this. The first was that The Earth God didn’t expect anyone to get this far. The second was that there was something about the Soul of the Garden that didn’t need guarding.

Eventually, the tunnel turned suddenly and opened into a big underground cavern. Nezumi’s breath caught in his throat. The place was magnificent. Little glowing orbs floated around thick roots. The roots grew all around the room until they formed a knot in the middle. They were an ancient circle around the knot that glowed with an unknown light. The second Nezumi stepped foot in the cavern he felt a low humming. It ran through him like the wind and he felt himself relaxing. Nezumi closed his eyes. It was peaceful. He could just stand on this spot forever. If he lay down and slept, then nothing would bother him. He would be free. An uneasy feeling shot through Nezumi and he opened his eyes. Pulling his leg back he found that the roots had twisted up it. Nezumi swore as he cut himself free. Once he was no longer entangled, he looked around. The roots didn’t creep towards him right away, but the longer he stood still they started slinking. The moment he moved they stopped.

_“As long as I’m moving, I’m safe.”_ Nezumi thought. He started pacing around the room thinking. He knew he couldn’t stay here for very long. The humming was making him extremely tired and the roots were waiting for him to relax so they could claim him. Now Nezumi understood why there weren’t any guards down here. Simple creatures such as guards and Gardeners would be easily lured in.

Nezumi tripped on his own feet in exhaustion and he grabbed a root for support. The instant he touched it he felt the whole garden. Nezumi let go and surveyed it. So, the roots were the soul of the Garden. He took out his knife and scraped off some bark from the roots. As he held it in the palm of his hand, the bark curled into a ball and formed a seed. A second later Nezumi dropped it as a burning pain ran across his palm. Instantly the seed grew into a plant the rose out of the cavern. The roots of the plants wound around the circle knot.

Nezumi swore loudly nursing his injured hand. Once the pain subsided, he tried again. This time the second he cut off the piece of root, he stuffed it in the crystal sphere and sealed it with the wax. The seed started to grow but stopped once the crystal was completely sealed. It hovered in the middle of the sphere and Nezumi could feel it humming in his hands. He made sure it was completely entrapped before turning to leave. The second he stepped outside the cavern the humming stopped and Nezumi knew it was safe. He sunk to the ground and allowed himself to drift off. He still had a long way to go to get out and he needed his strength.

Sion took a deep breath and prodded the small fire in front of him. The Gardeners were burning extra leaves from the older trees that were dying. Sion should be collecting leaves to burn but instead, he was sitting gloomily in front of the fire. Today he was the day. He was going to get rid of his connections to the outside world. Next to Sion was his bag of items that _he_ gave him. Sion didn’t want to burn them. He had put it off for two years now, making excuses. He convinced himself that they weren’t directly connected to _him_ , that keeping them didn’t make the nightmares worse. Almost two years of terrible dreams later Sion understood that they were holding him back. If he truly wanted to give up and return completely to his normal life, they would have to go. Sion stood up and let out a small determent breath He could do this. He picked up the bag and held it over the open flame. It licked hungrily at Sion’s treasure. All Sion needed to do was to open his hands and it will be all over. He stared longingly at the bag. He wanted to look through it one more time….Sion shook his head fiercely. He needed to be strong.

“Let go.” He whispered to himself. “Release yourself from _him_ and all that _he_ did to you.” _He_ came into Sion’s life and now _he_ had left. Sion was going to get rid of evidence that _he_ had ever been part of his life.

“You must be pretty angry at me if you’re burning all your things.” Sion yanked the bag away from the fire and hit it behind his back as he turned to face the intruder. His excuses died on his lips as he saw who it was.

Nezumi.

He hadn’t thought of his name since the Thief God left two years ago. Once upon a happier time, Sion would have been delighted to see Nezumi. Now he was just tired. Nezumi’s appearance meant that all the nightmares would return. Sion would have to start from the beginning again in order to numb himself.

“What do you want.” He kept his face masklike and emotionless. “I told you I don’t want to see you again.”

“I’m not here for a visit.” Nezumi smiled showing all his teeth. “I’m here to steal.” Sion sighed and put down the bag. Of course, that was the reason Nezumi was back. For a fraction of a moment, his heart had thought he was here for him. It was foolish. The Thief God just wanted more sacred fruit.

“Well go take it then.” Sion waved at the trees. “You’ll just kill me if I called the guards and truthfully, I don’t have the energy to deal with you.” Nezumi didn’t budge, but his smile grew bigger.

“You misunderstand me.” Nezumi’s eyes glinted mischievously. “I’m not here to steal fruit.” Sion paused. He couldn’t think of anything else of value in the Garden of Paradise.

“Are you going to break into the Earth God’s Temple?”

“Nope.”

“Then I have no idea what you want. There’s nothing else here.” He wished Nezumi would just tell him and leave. He did not want to play games.

“Oh, but there is.” Nezumi stepped forward. “This Garden is full of strange created creatures that no one has seen before in the outside world.” It took Sion a moment to figure out what Nezumi was saying.

“You’re going to steal a Gardeners?” Sion let out a low annoyed breath. Why was Nezumi making life difficult? “You know that’s impossible.”

“Is it though?” Nezumi tiled his head.

“Yes.”

“But you see, I found a way.” Nezumi held up a small crystal. “This will allow one Gardner to leave the Garden.” Sion stared open-mouthed at it. After a couple of seconds, he closed his mouth into a thin line.

“Why do you have to be this way.” He hissed. “Why Nezumi?!” His voice was getting louder. “First you steal fruit. Then my stupid heart and now that you’re done with me, you’re going to grab another Gardner? Do you realize how cruel that is? They don’t know anything about the outside world! They will only be afraid and suffer.” Nezumi stared for a few seconds before stepping towards Sion. He put his hand on the Gardner’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry so much.” His voice was as smooth as silk. “The Gardener I’m going to steal knows all about the outside world.”

“Nezumi.” Sion pulled away from him angrily. “There’s only one Gardner in this whole garden who knows about the outside world and that’s….” his eyes widened. “me.” Sion gulped as he scanned Nezumi’s face, hardly daring to believe it. Nezumi watched him with an amused expression.

“You’re going to steal me?” Sion’s voice was barely audible.

“That took you way too long to figure out.” Nezumi sniggered. Sion blinked a few times. Was this real? Was Nezumi here to take him away? Tears pricked at his eyes.

“You mean…I can leave with you…I can be with you…I…I.I can see the world…I can see…I can see…” It was too much. Sion gave a sob and launched himself into Nezumi’s arms. He stood there crying as all his suppressed emotions came free.

“So dramatic,” Nezumi muttered but still hugged Sion back. He ran his hand through Sion’s hair as he waited for the Gardener to calm down. After a good five minute Sion he pulled away sniffing slightly.

“What’s next?” he asked.

“We need to leave.” Nezumi took Sion’s hand. “Let’s go.” Sion nodded and picked up his little bag of items. He glanced around his Garden as Nezumi pulled him down the path. It was going to be strange to no longer see this place. He was no longer going to participate in harvests. He was no longer going to see Marigold, or Rose, or any of the other Gardeners. A wave of sadness hit him. Although he was excited to leave, he was going to miss this place.

Getting out of the Garden was harder than Sion could ever imagine. Nezumi gave him a cloak that helped conceal his presents but even then, they were stopped every minute or so by a guard looking around suspiciously. They soon came to the well.

“Down here.” Nezumi pulled himself up on the ledge. Sion looked down worriedly. The well was deep and narrow. If they went down there, they could get stuck and drown. Nezumi noticed his concerned expression.

“We aren’t going all the way down.” The Thief God held out a rope. “Tie this around your waist. I don’t want you falling in.” Sion complained and soon found himself climbing down the slippery side of the well. About halfway down Nezumi stopped and pushed back a stone. Behind it was a narrow tunnel for them to climb through.

“In here.” Nezumi indicated. Sion felt a wave of excitement and fear. This was it. He was leaving the garden. Untying the rope and stashing it in his small bag, Sion followed Nezumi through. It was tight and stuffy. Sion couldn’t see anything in front of him. He could barely breathe. He didn’t like it at all. Gardeners weren’t used to tight dark spaces. They loved the open outdoors and light. Every instinct in him wanted to turn back. Sion ignored it as he followed Nezumi. After what felt like an eternity they finally came out into a bigger tunnel. In the distance, he could hear the sound of water running. Sion stood up and stretched gratefully.

“Are you ok?” Nezumi’s voice asked somewhere in the dark.

“Yeah.” Sion crocked. His throat was dry. He took a step forwards and almost fell. They seemed to be on a ledge. A hand reached out and grabbed him.

“Don’t move.” There was a scraping sound then suddenly a small light-filled the tunnel. Nezumi held up a small lantern.

“I don’t usually take a lantern with me, but I know you can’t see well in the dark.” Nezumi rummaged through his bag. “here.” He handed Sion a water pouch. “Drink this.” Sion gratefully brought it to his lips. Water never tasted so good. After a couple of minutes, he finished and handed the pouch back to Nezumi.

“Where are we?” He asked looking around. Now that there was light, he could see that they were on a narrow path next to a large river.

“This is where most of the plants in the Gardner get their water” Nezumi explained as they started down the path. “Be careful not to fall in. I don’t know how deep it is.”

If the first tunnel felt long it was nothing compared to this one. They walked down one tunnel until it connected with another. Then they followed the new tunnel until it broke off into two more tunnels. They had to stop three times to eat and once to sleep. Sion started to worry a little that they were lost. He opened his mouth to ask Nezumi if they were close when something strange happened. A tingling feeling suddenly ran through Sion’s body. He gave a shiver. The tingling increased until there something snapped. Sion tensed. It felt like a string that was attaching him to something broke. A few seconds later it happened again and again. Sion stumbled and almost tripped over his feet. He was tired and cold. He put his hand on the wall and found it trembling. His body felt heavy and sluggish. Something was missing, something important.

“Sion?” Nezumi’s voice broke through his haze. Sion stared dull-eyed at Nezumi.

“What?” he mumbled incoherently. Nezumi looked fuzzy and blurry. Sion couldn’t read the expression on Nezumi’s face. When did Nezumi get so tall? It took Sion a moment to realize he had fallen to the ground. He couldn’t feel his legs anymore. Nezumi disappeared from his sight and reappeared. He said something that Sion couldn’t understand. Then Sion felt a smooth item press against his hands. It was warm and full of life. As he held it, he felt a humming run through his body. Sion concentrated on the warmth and humming. Slowly he felt new strands connect him to it. The coldness lifted and he regained his senses. As his visions came back to focus he saw he was holding the crystal Sphere.

“Are you ok?” Nezumi gently pulled back Sion’s hair so he could look him in the eyes.

“What happened?”

“You were dying.” Nezumi removed his hand. “I didn’t realize how fast you would fade the second we left the garden.”

“We’re no longer in the garden?” Sion perked up at this. They were out of the garden’s grounds in new territory.

“Yeah, we left it about two minutes ago.” Nezumi helped Sion up to his feet. “Be careful not to lose that.” Son nodded and they continued walking down the path

There was light ahead. First, it was a small dot in the distance but soon became a small hole. Sion picked up his pace, eager to be out of the tunnel. He wanted out. He wanted the light. Rushing forward the light grew bigger and bigger until Sion burst out of the tunnel. He stopped as the warm sun hit him and closed his eyes. After a moment he opened them again.

He found himself standing next to a waterfall. In front of him was a vast wild forest. This forest was nothing like the garden. Everything was unorderly and overgrown. Trees grew in random places. Vines wound up the tree and bushes. Underfoot leaves littered the ground. It felt untidy and Sion itched to clear them away. He could probably get this whole area sorted out in about two hours.

“Where are you going?”

Nezumi had just appeared from the entrance of the cave. Sion halted in surprise. In his excitement, he had temporarily forgotten that Nezumi was there.

“I was going to clean up a little…” Sion’s voice faltered, and face turned red. Saying it out loud it sounded stupid. Nezumi sniggered.

“Calm down little Gardner. You aren’t in your garden anymore.” He went to a nearby tree ignoring Sion’s spluttering protects. “Let’s eat something.” He sat down “ I still have some left-over food.”

After their break, the two of them headed down a dirt path. Soon they saw lantern in the distance. Sion stopped suddenly and gasped. The lantern was connected to a real-life building. Sion grabbed Nezumi’s arm pointing excitedly.

“Nezumi do you see that.” His eyes glistened.

“It’s an inn,” Nezumi said amused.

“Let’s go in!” Sion started forward but Nezumi halted him.

“Before we go anywhere, you need to do a few things. Firstly.” He pulled up the hood of Sion’s cloak so it was covering his head. “Keep your hair covered. You stand out. Secondly, try not to speak to anyone and if they talk to you first try to end the conversation quickly. Lastly, try not to let anyone know you are from the garden. Act as if you’ve traveled before.” Sion nodded his eyes still glued on the tavern. Nezumi sighed.

“Alright then let’s go.”

The Inn was more amazing inside than outside. The place was full of travelers, each looking very different from each other. Sion stared at their strange clothing. He felt self-conscious wearing only his tunic and was glad the clock covered most of it. Then there was the food. Sion had never eaten a hot meal before. He ate the garden’s fruit raw and Nezumi’s food was always cold since he had to carry it with him. Sion burned his tongue on the soup and drank a cup of water to cool it off. He also had to use utensils. He had practiced using a fork and spoon with Nezumi, but it was harder in real life. Sion balanced each spoon full and carefully brought it to his mouth. He was aware that Nezumi was watched him. The Thief God seemed half amused and half proud of his efforts.

The highlight of the evening however was the room they were staying in. Sion gasped in surprise when the Innkeeper handed him a key.

“You mean we get this room to ourselves?!” he asked excitedly. Before the Inn Keeper could answer Nezumi dragged him off.

“What did I say about acting as you’ve traveled before.” Sion opened his mouth to respond but got distracted by the room. It was bigger than most storage rooms in the garden and had a single bed in the middle

“I don’t have enough money on me to get a double bed so we’re sharing.” Nezumi plopped down on one side of the bed.

“That’s fine.” Sion crawled across it to sit next to him. “Gardeners sometimes share beds when it’s cold out or if someone’s sad. I’m used to it.” He smiled up and Nezumi. “It’ll be nice to snuggle with someone if the night is cold.” Nezumi watched Sion for a couple of seconds.

“Do me a favor and don’t share a bed with anyone else you meet. They might take it the wrong way.”

“Why?” Sion cocked his head. Nezumi sighed.

“I’ll explain it in the morning. For now, let’s just sleep.” With that, he turned away from Sion and pulled the blanket up to his chin. Sion copied him. He thought his excitement would keep him up all night but apparently, he travels made him extremely tired. He was out within a minute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annd that it! Gardner Sion has quite a steep learning curve when it comes to the outside world. Let's see how he does when he has his first real conversation with someone who's not Nezumi.  
> Thank you again for reading. Feel free to leave a Kudo or review (or both, I love both). It always makes my day when I see comments or Kudos.  
> Until next time


	7. Memory Lane/ The Gardener and the Wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for all the suppose so far. You guys are amazing.  
> Here's the next chapter.  
>  Sion wanders through memory lane and Nezumi realizes he didn't plan things out as well as he thought he did.

Sion sat cross-legged on the floor, an empty notebook sitting in front of him. He had read it was better to meditate on hard surfaces. He wanted to get the clearest image he could in order to spend as little time as possible in his memory. It had taken him four days to prepare both mentally and physically. He kept putting it off, using work as an excuse. It was a reasonable excuse after all. The wolf situation was worse than he thought. There was a total of twenty wolf sightings, each slowly creeping nearer the City Hospital. This had worried him since Dog Keeper and his mother were currently there. Dog Keeper’s condition finally steadied, and she had been sleeping a lot. The last thing he needed was for her to get attacked by a wolf. Usually, she could defend herself, but he wasn’t sure if she had the strength in her current condition.

_“Maybe I should go check on her.”_ Sion shook his head. He needed to stop distracting himself. He put off this way too long. As unpleasant and painful as searching his own memories was going to be, it was the only way to find something that only Their God would know. Once Sion had it, he could casually drop it in conversations and see if the person reacted to it. Sion sighed and tried to relax. He closed his eyes and started controlling his breathing. At first, nothing happened. Then slowly he felt his head start to ache.

_Sion was looking up at a man who sat in a tree full of strange fruit. He couldn’t make out the man’s face._

_“Don’t you think you’re being a little careless?” the man’s voice echoed through Sion’s head. “I could kill you right now.”_

Sion gasped as a shock of pain flashed through his head. He opened his eyes and quickly wrote the memory down. After about twenty seconds the memory completely faded. Sion reviewed his notes. He guessed that the “man” was the Thief God. He shivered. According to the notes, The Thief God seemed to be threatening him. He wondered what was going through his own head at the time. Sion waited a moment for the headache to subside and tried again.

_Sion was standing in a dark cramped room. The same man stood at the doorway. In the distance, Sion heard rain and thunder pounding outside._

_“You think I can’t sneak back in here.”_

_“If you do, I’ll have to tell the guards.” Sion’s voice rang out._

_“Is that so?” The man’s voice became cold. “Then I’d be forced to kill you.”_

Once again Sion was pulled out by the pain. He wrote it down and tried again.

_Sion was holding out an object to the man. It looked like a book, but Sion couldn’t read what was written on it._

_“Why are you giving it to me?” The man asked._

_“Shouldn’t I give it back.” Sion’s own voice sounded confused._

_“It’s a bribe you keep it.”_

A bribe. The Thief God was bribing him. Sion wondered what the bribe was for. In the first two memories, the Thief God seemed threatening. Why was he suddenly bribing Sion’s past self? Did Sion take the bribe? Hopefully, he didn’t. Sion couldn’t help but remember the Earth God’s words. He had mentioned how foolish Sion acted. It sounded to Sion that he did take the bribe. He wondered what the Thief God could have possibly said to convince him that he wasn’t dangerous. Sion closed his eyes again.

_Sion was pressed against the man who held him in a hug._

_“I see…” Sion’s voice sounded sad“I guess I never realized how terrifying the outside word was until today…”_

_“It is a terrible place.” The man agreed._

_“But I still believe there’s good in it. After all, you’re from the outside world so it can’t be all that bad.”_

Sion came back to reality and wrote it down. This time his past self-seemed to be smitten by the Thief God. No wonder the Earth God warned him about his curiosity. Past Sion was an idiot to believe such lies. Sion rubbed his forehead and looked at his notes. His headache was getting worse. It no longer was completely going away. He wanted to stop but he didn’t feel like had enough to go on. His memories only ever lasted a couple of seconds. Sion hoped he could get a few more memories before the headaches forced him to stop. He closed his eyes again.

_Sion was facing the man._

_“You are getting smarter. I’m surprised you figured that out.” The man’s voice sounded cold this time._

_“Why didn’t you break it off?” Sion small voice asked._

_“Why would I when I was having so much fun.”_

Sion gasped as he returned to reality. His headache was almost unbearable. He clumsily wrote everything down. The chance in the Thief God’s tone was startling. He sounded even more dangerous than he did in the first two memories when he was threatening Sion. It seemed like his past self was wising up. Good for him.

“Only a few more times.” He mumbled to himself. “I need more information.”

_Sion was standing in front of a small fire. The man stood near him._

_“There’s only one Gardner in this whole garden who knows about the outside world and that’s… “me.” Sion gulped. “You’re going to steal me?”_

_“That took you way too long to figure out.” The man sniggered._

Sion weakly wrote it down his hands trembling. As he put down the notebook, he found himself swaying. Sion tried to concentrate but it was hard. He wanted nothing more than to just lie down and sleep. He clenched his teeth. He couldn’t give up now. In that last memory, he was just about to be kidnapped. He needed only a little more…

_“No! Why the hell did you do break it! Why? Tell me why….you could have been free….”_

_This time Sion could barely make out anything. He couldn’t tell who was yelling. Was it him? Was it the man? Was it someone else? He felt disconnected. The world was cold and he was tired. His vision was blurry and quickly going dark. He was fading…_

_._

.

.

“Sion! Sion!”

The man from the garden’s voice was back. It rang through his head, but no image accompanied it.

“Sion wake up! SION!”

Sion’s eyes flicked open. He looked up into the concerned face of his boyfriend. For a split second, he understood. Everything became clear.

“Nezumi.”

Then it was gone. As he started to wake up a little, the dreams and memories slipped from his mind. Within a matter of seconds, all that was left was the feeling he had just discovered something important.

“Sion?” Nezumi put his hand on Sion’s cheek. Sion closed his eyes at the contact. Nezumi’s hand felt comforting. It took him a moment to realize he was shaking. He felt exhausted.

“What happened?” he mumbled staring up at Nezumi.

“You tell me.” Nezumi stroked his hair. “I came home from practice and found you unconscious. You were so pale.” He peered into Sion’s eyes. “Are you alright?”

“I just want to go to sleep,” Sion mumbled. Nezumi paused and put his hand against Sion’s forehead.

“You’re burning up.” He brushed his hand down Sion’s face. “I’ll get you a wet cloth and some medicine. Ok? Sion nodded numbly as Nezumi helped him to their bed. Once he was tucked in, he asked in a quiet voice.

“Can you give me my notebook.” Nezumi complied and Sion curled up with it. He didn’t want anyone else, not even Nezumi, to see what was written. This was personal, his own memories. He wasn’t willing to share them yet. As Sion started to fall asleep, a feeling of unease settled on him. He didn’t know why but he felt that something that he learned today was bothering him. He couldn’t recall it at all. If Sion wasn’t so tired, he would be frustrated. Instead, he snuggled down in this blanket and let himself drift off. He would deal with this once he was better. For now, he wanted to sleep.

_A long time ago in a world forgotten by all…._

Nezumi was starting to realize that he hadn’t prepared as well as he thought he had. It turned out teaching Sion about the real world didn’t mean he understood it. After a restless night were Sion had basically curled into Nezumi like a puppy, Nezumi was feeling tired. He wasn’t used to sleeping with someone, especially when that someone woke him up at the crack of dawn with a burst of energy. Then while Nezumi tried to get a couple of hours more of sleep, Sion patted around the room trying everything. He looked through the draws of the chest of draws. He climbed under the bed. He ran his hand across the wallpapered wall. While he did this, he made little gasps of excitement. Nezumi put his foot down after Sion discovered that the window opened. The Gardener found it extremely amusing to open and close the window over and over again. After the ninth time, Sion slammed the window shut Nezumi sprang out of bed and chucked a pillow at him.

“If you’re going to get up this early then be quiet.” He snapped. After that Sion sat at the window and watched the sunrise quietly while Nezumi snoozed.

By the time Nezumi got up, he was still tired. Sion was in an energetic mood. They went down to breakfast. Nezumi ate some portage while Sion chatted happily as he mutilated a banana.

“I've never seen fruit this shape before.” Sion squeezed one side. “This is a banana, right?”

“Yep.” Nezumi tried to ignore the people from one table over who were watching Sion interestedly. Sion took the banana and bit into it, peel and all. He made a face as he chewed.

“Well.” he swallowed. “That didn’t taste how I expected to…” The men from the table over howled with laughter. Nezumi stood up and grabbed Sion’s arm.

“We need to go.” He hissed. “We’re standing out too much here.

Sion was no better in the city then the Inn. Every a couple of minutes Nezumi would lose the Gardener in the crowd. It was only partly Sion’s fault. The Gardener didn’t know how to walk in a crowded area. When they first entered the busy streets Sion had frozen as the sheer amount of people overwhelmed him. Since they didn’t eat much breakfast Nezumi bought them some hot bread and they ate it on the side of the street while Sion adjusted. After a good hour, Sion was back to his curious self. He stopped at every stall, ever street musician, and ever advertisement. Nezumi ended up taking his hand and guiding him. Sion pointed at every little thing they passed in wonder. His questions came fast and furious and Nezumi was having a hard time keeping up with them. He wanted to tell Sion to be quite but felt that was to mean. It wasn’t Sion’s fault, if anything it was his own fault for not planning better. He should have realized that going from a secluded garden to the heart of a bustling city was too much for Sion in one day.

Nezumi had rushed him to the city in order to get a bracelet that would block his connection with the Gardner. There was no chance that the Earth God didn’t feel it when a part of the Garden’s soul was stolen. Nezumi needed to act quickly before the Earth God realized Sion was missing. If he had been wiser, he would have bought the bracelet before and put it on Sion the second they left the garden. Nezumi had been so busy trying to steal the soul of the garden that he didn’t put much thought into afterward.

“Watch it!” a man hissed as Sion ran into him. The Gardener pulled away looking nervous. Nezumi pulled him around the man and down the street. He doubted Sion’s shyness was because he was scared. Sion was just trying to follow Nezumi’s rule of not talking to anyone. So far he had been doing a good job but Nezumi doubted it would last. Sion’s curiosity would eventually get the better of him. If he disobeyed the orders of his creator for curiosity's sake, then there was no way he wouldn’t be tempted to talk to someone.

The next time Sion ran into someone Nezumi decided it was time for a break. He led Sion into a side alleyway.

“How are you doing.”

“Good.” Sion sighed deeply. “There’s so much out there.” Nezumi nodded and looked out of the alleyway. To his relief, he realized they were almost at their destination.

“We need to cross the street and go down there.” He pointed to a dark, narrow street across from them.”

“Are we going to your home?” Sion asked excitedly

“Not yet. Since you’re created there’s a chance that other Gardeners will still be able to sense you. I don’t want the Earth God to track us down. We need to buy something that will conceal that connection.”

“We’re going to go shopping!?” Sion’s eyes were as large as saucers. Nezumi hesitated. If the city was too much, then a shop could be potentially dangerous. Wolf Whisperer was cunning and there was a chance she could figure out the truth. Nezumi knew he would have to go alone in the back room to pick up the item. That was part of Wolf Whisperer's rules. He debated telling Sion to wait here but quickly discarded that idea. Leaving the Gardener alone in the middle of the city would end badly. He couldn’t bring Sion to his home either, not without the bracelet. Nezumi didn’t like the idea of the garden’s Guards showing up at his front door.

“Yes, Sion we’re going shopping.” He finally replied.

It was a slow day in Wolf Whisperer’s shop. Not that most days were extremely eventful but today was slower than usual. Wolf Whisper lounged on her chair with her eyes closed. Around her, wolves lay snoozing. It was a peaceful day. Wolf Whisper was just starting to wonder what she was going to do for dinner when a wolf entered. Without looking down Wolf Whisperer lazy put her hand on his muzzle.

_The Thief God is coming and he’s bringing a stranger._

The thought ran from the wolf’s mind to Wolf Whisperer. She opened her eyes in surprise and dropped her hand. This was new. The Theif never bought people to her shop. He didn't like people and didn’t like sharing any information. He wasn’t one to share the place he regularly went to. Wolf Whisperer wondered what kind of person he’d bring. She didn’t need to wait very long to find out. Less than a minute later the door swung open when a tingle and the Theif God sauntered in. Behind him, a small cloaked figure entered.

“I’m here to pick up the bracelet I paid for.” the Thief God’s voice had an air of urgency despite his best efforts to hide it. Wolf Whisperer could feel that he was in a hurry.

“You wanted the one that conceals right?” Wolf Whisperer drawled. If the Thief God was in a rush, then all the more reason to draw this out. “ Don’t know why you need it. You can conceal yourself fine on your own.” She gave a toothy grin and jumped up from her seat “Unless you’re losing your powers.” The Theif God’s expression didn’t change but she could feel a small bit of irritation seep out of him.

“It’s not for me.” He jerked his head to his hooded companion who was gazing around the shop open-mouthed. Wolf Whisperer looked from him to the Thief God.

“Who’s he?”

“Do you have it?” The Thief God ignored her question. Wolf Whisperer debated on pressing the matter but thought better of it. The Thief God was quickly losing patients and she didn’t actually want to fight him today.

“It’s in the back.” Wolf Whisperer jerked her thumb over her shoulder. The Theif God nodded curtly and turned to his companions.

“Stay here.” With that, he disappeared through the back door into the storage room. Wolf Whisperer and the Thief God’s companion stood in silence.

“So who are you?” Wolf Whisperer finally asked. The person tensed and ducked their head nervously.

“Nezumi said not to talk to anyone.” It was a man’s voice. Wolf Whisperer squinted at him.

“Who’s Nezumi?”

The man looked up in surprise and Wolf Whisperer saw that he had red eyes.

“Nezumi.” He pointed at the back door. It took Wolf Whisperer a second to realize who he was talking about.

“You mean the Thief God?” Her eyes narrowed. How did this guy know The Thief’s God’s name? That wasn’t information most people, rather less the elusive Thief God, shared. The man seemed to realize he had said something wrong because his eyes widened in horror and he shut his mouth.

“You seem to know a lot about the Thief God. Are you two closes?”

The man didn’t answer. He just stepped back against the wall and attempted to make himself as small as possible

“Who are you?” Wolf Whisperer pressed. “What’s your relationship with the Thief God?” The man avoided her eyes and stared determinately down at the ground. Wolf Whisperer decided to change tactics.

“Hey, no need to look so frightened. All I'm asking for is your name. You tell me who you are, and I’ll tell you who I am.” At these words, the man’s face lit up.

“You want to trade? I’ve only ever traded with Nezumi before.”

If Wolf Whisperer couldn’t feel his excitement oozing off of him, she would have thought he was being sarcastic. She just wanted to exchange titles. This wasn’t that big of a deal. To the man, however, it seemed very important. He straightened up and pointed to himself.

“I’m Sion.”

“Wolf Whisperer.” Wolf Whisperer looked him over. He must be a very low-class creature if he didn’t have a title to go by. What was the Thief God doing with such a creature?

“It’s nice to meet you Wolf Whisperer.” Sion paused then as if he couldn’t help it anymore, he blurted out. “You’re a Wolf Guardian, right? You look like the one I saw in a book. Nezumi said Guardians can communicate with the animal you protect. Does that mean you can talk to wolves?” He looked down at the wolves at his feet who were watching him. “Are these wolves? I’ve only seen a picture of them. They’re a lot bigger than I thought they’d be. Do they have names?” he bent down and pet one. To Wolf Whisperer’s surprise, the wolf didn’t seem to mind. “He’s so soft!” He glanced up at her. “Do they help run this shop?”

Wolf Whisperer tried to keep up with Sion’s questions and random comments. She was used to strange clientele, but this was different. He was not guarded at all. He didn’t seem to think that there was anything wrong with asking so many questions. He didn’t seem worried that she would use this information against him. He was like a small child who didn’t understand the world at all. With each question, he got more and more ecstatic. Wolf Whisperer felt his emotions seep into her body. Her hands clench and unclenched as her wolf instincts strengthened. She wanted to hunt. Wolf Whisperer shook her head. Now was not the time.

“Do you always ask so many questions?” She finally interrupted. Sion looked up from the wolf he was petting.

“Yeah, I ask Nezumi things all the time.”

“Do you?” Wolf Whisperer couldn’t imagine The Thief God putting up with such behavior. If she asked too many questions, he’d leave her shop and not return for a very long time. How did Sion get away with it?

“He taught me everything I know.” Sion’s eyes gleamed with happiness. “He taught me to read and write. He taught me about the world. He even taught me to sing and act a little.” Sion smiled down at the wolf. “He’s so kind.”

Wolf Whisperer wondered briefly if they were talking about the same god. The Thief God was many things but a teacher was not one of them. He was also definitely not _kind._ Wolf Whisperer didn’t understand his motives. Was he paid to babysit Sion? That didn’t make sense. Sion didn’t even have a title. No one with that little important would have the money to pay The Thief God. Then many he was trying to get some use from Sion. As Wolf Whisperer watched the energetic young man, she couldn’t think of any way Sion could be useful.

“Hey!” Sion’s exclamation brought her back to reality. He was now wandering around her shop perusing the selves. He was currently looking at a stack of empty journals.

“I have one of those.” Sion reached into his bag and pulled out a journal. Wolf Whisperer instantly recognized it as the item The Thief God had bought years ago.

“He gave that to you?” she paused. “Did he happen to give you a children’s book of ‘good morals’?”

“Yeah!” Sion reached back into his bag and pulled out the book in question. “How did you know?”

“I sold it to him.” Wolf Whisperer reexamined Sion. This was the person the Thief God was buying gifts for. Now everything made even less sense. What did the Thief God hope to achieve by giving Sion gifts? He didn’t seem to be anything special about him…Wolf Whisperer narrowed her eyes. She had just noticed a strange marking on Sion’s cheek. Without warning, she sprang forward and yanked down his hood. Sion gasped in shock. Wolf Whisperer gaped at him. Her eyes traveled from his white hair to his red eyes to the mark on his cheek. It looked like the start of the Earth God’s symbol. Wolf Whisperer had no idea what he was. She had never seen a creature like him before.

“What are you?”

Sion gulped and looked away, his earlier shyness returning. Wolf Whisperer watched him shrink against the wall again. Forcefulness didn’t seem to get through to him. He was more afraid of her this time than last. Wolf Whisperer glanced over at the storage door. Nezumi would probably only be gone for a few more minutes. Although she had gotten the bracelet he asked for, she didn’t activate it. That was the only reason she was getting this time to interrogate Sion. She turned around and placed her hand on one of the wolf’s heads, asking it silently about Sion.

_He smells like dirt. He lived most of his life outside. He works with fruit and trees._

As the information entered Wolf Whisperer, she thought it over. It sounded like Sion worked in a garden of some sort. Wolf Whisperer removed her hand and took a gamble.

“You don’t need to hide it from me.” Her voice was sweet. “I know you worked in a garden.” It had the effect she wanted. Sion visibly relaxed and sighed with relief.

“Oh good.” Sion smiled “I’m glad you knew already. I think I’m bad at hiding things. Nezumi told me not to tell anyone where I’m from. He said to pretend I was always from the outside world but I'm not very good at it.” He looked seriously at Wolf Whisperer. “I think it’s dangerous for people to know that I’m from the Garden of Paradise, that’s why he wants me to stay quiet. There aren’t creatures like me in the outside world.”

Wolf Whisperer’s mouth fell open as Sion jabbered on. If he was from the Garden of Paradise that could only make him a Gardener. Wolf Whisperer didn’t know anything about Gardeners other than that they could not leave their garden. The last place she expected to see one was at her shop.

“I didn’t think Gardner’s could leave.” She finally said.

“We can’t usually.” Sion reached into his bag and pulled out a crystal sphere with a seed sprouting in the middle. “But Nezumi made me this so I can leave.” The second it was out of its bag Wolf Whisperer could feel the energy leaking from it. It waved over her like a warm blanket. She had never seen anything like this before. It held a piece of a powerful soul. Yet it looked delicate. Wolf Whisperer worried that if Sion mistakenly dropped it, he would break it.

“Alright let's go.” The Thief God’s voice wafted in the room as he returned. He stopped the backroom door taking in the scene before him. Wolf Whisperer felt him tense.

“Hey Nezumi!” Sion said obliviously. “We were ju-” before he could finish, the Thief God strode across the room, pulled up Sion’s hood, and placed the sphere back in Sion’s bag.

“We’re leaving.” He grabbed Sion’s arm and turned to the door. Instantly all the wolves stood up growling.

“What’s the rush _Nezumi_ ” Wolf Whisperer prowled around them. After all, she learned she wasn’t going to let the Thief God leave so easily.

“You didn’t tell me he was the one you were buying gifts for or that.” She gave a toothy grin. “He was from the Garden of Paradise.” The Thief God kept his face blank, but his hand tightened on Sion’s arm.

“I thought you knew already!” Sion on the other hand was not hiding his emotions and instead looked panicked.

“That’s an interesting item you got there.” She indicated the bag. “It holds a bit of the Garden of Paradise’s Soul, right? How did you make it? I bet I could make one as well. With my many contacts, it would be easy.”

“You probably could,” The Thief God said through clenched teeth. Wolf Whisperer sighed. If The Thief God wouldn’t give up his secrets that's fine. She could still get it from him.

“If you won’t tell me how you made it then sell it to me. How much?” It didn’t matter if she had to sell her whole shop. Getting her hands on an item like that would change her life. She could use it to work her way into a god’s council.

“You can’t buy it!” Sion pipped in. “If I’m separated from it, I’ll die!”

“Sion, be quiet.” The Thief God said in a low voice and Sion closed his mouth. Wolf Whisperer thought it over. It was a drawback but didn’t make the crystal any less appealing. She looked Sion up and down. It would complicated things to have a Gardner in tow, but she could still see the benefits.

“He’s interesting looking.” She mused. “How much are you willing to sell him for?” Sion gasped and shrank behind the Thief God.

“He’s not for sell.”

“Oh come on, Thief God what else are you going to do with him?” she waved a dismissive hand “How about 50 gold pieces?” Wolf Whisperer crossed her arms. “It’s a good deal. I’ll even through another 50 for the Crystal Sphere.”

“I told you he’s not for sell.” Nezumi was reaching for his knife. Around her, the wolves growled menacingly.

Wolf Whisperer eyed him. If the Thief God was willing to fight then he wasn’t joking. Wolf Whisperer put up her hand and the wolves backed up.

“Alright, no need to get violent.” She said. “But Thief God, you know he’s not like a book, right? You can’t keep him on a shelf. He’ll need to be watered and fed. Also, he'll need fresh air. You can’t keep him locked up in your house or he'll die.”

“Good to know.” The Thief God let go of his knife and turned away. Wolf Whisperer huffed.

“Fine I won’t buy him from you, but I still want to make a deal.” The Thief God paused but didn’t speak.

“I want to know more about the garden since you won’t tell me.” Any intel on the Garden of Paradise was valuable. The Thief God may have sold him fruit but never told her anything about it. Plus she was curious about Sion. What kind of person could make the Thief God act like this?

“How much do you want me to pay to rent him from you?”

“I’m not going to rent him out.”

Wolf Whisperer frowned. The Thief God could be hard to persuade but maybe…

“Sion.” At his name, Sion winced. “Why don’t you come back at a later time.”

“I don’t want to be sold to you.”

“You won’t be.” Wolf Whisperer waved him off. “I just want to make a deal. You tell me about the Garden of Paradise, and I’ll tell you more about Guardians.” Sion perked up a little before shooting the Thief God a look. The Thief God didn’t say anything he just turned to watch her. Wolf Whisperer knew he was trying to see if she had any alternate motives. 

“How about I sweeten the deal. I’ll also let you help out around the shop.” As she hoped this got Sion’s full attention. He gasped in excitement.

“You mean I’ll be able to help you stock shelves and sell items?” he paused again, and his voice became stiff. “I don’t care. I’m not going to do it.”

“You can if you want.” The Thief God turned away from her. “She doesn't have any alternate motives.”

“Really?” Sion sounded painfully hopeful.

“As long as nothing happens to him.” There was a small edge to The Thief God’s voice.

“You have my word that nothing bad will happen to your Gardener on my watch.” If there was anything important to Guardians, other than their animal, it was keeping their words. She never made a promise she knew she couldn’t fulfill.

The Thief God nodded and looked at Sion, who beamed back. To Wolf Whisperer's surprise, The Thief God's expression softened slightly. Sion must really be something special. The two of them started walking to the door when suddenly Sion paused and turned around.

“Hey, Wolf Whisperer.” the Gardener pulled away from his companion and rushed back over. He reached into his bag and pulled out a book. “Can I wear one of these?” he showed her a picture in the book. It was a book of children’s rhymes, this one about buying candy. The man behind the counter was wearing a blue work apron. Wolf Whisperer laughed. Were all Gardeners this naive? Even so, he was funny at least.

“Sure, I’ll get you that.” She smirked. “Maybe I’ll even let you work behind the counter.

“Really?” Sion gasped. Thief God rolled his eyes.

“Alright let’s go.” He took the bracelet and strapped it around Sion’s wrist. “That should keep them from finding you.” He glanced back at Wolf Whisperer. “If you tell anyone about Sion or my real name the deal is off.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Wolf Whisperer wasn’t concerned. As much money as she could get from giving that info, the Thief God’s business was more valuable. He turned and started out the door.

“Oh and _Nezumi_ ” She smirked as he paused “Try to teach your Gardener to watch what he says.”

“I’m planning on it.” With that, the Thief God started walking again.

“Where are we going now?” Sion asked as he followed him.

“To my place. You can't go around wearing a tunic.”

“I get clothes?! Like shirts, pants, and socks.” His voice squeaked in excitement as the door closed behind them. Wolf Whisperer snorted again. She didn’t know why the Thief God took in such a strange creature when he didn’t seem to benefit from him. One thing was true though, Sion was interesting. Wolf Whisperer was looking forward to meeting him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnd that's it! Thanks for reading! If you liked the story feel free to leave a comment. If you hated it with a burning unquenchable passion feel free to leave a comment.  
> Next chapter will be a little different. It's a bonus chapter that follows The Gardener's and Theif God's travels. The chapter after that will again be split between modern Nez/Sion and past Nez/Sion.  
> Until next time!


	8. Extra: Time spent in Eternity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! This is a bonus chapter. It follows some of the adventures of the Gardener and Theif God. I'm not entirely pleased with how this chapter came out. Anyways if you see any mistakes feel free to point them out.

It took a long time for Sion to stop being amazed at every single little thing in the world. Even so, the joy of waking up next to Nezumi each morning and preparing for another day never faded. They could be traveling, hiding out somewhere, or just staying at home and reading. Sometimes Nezumi would travel off by himself. If he was only gone for a few days Sion wandered the city. At first, he wasn’t allowed to leave the house since Nezumi was afraid he would get in trouble. After a while, Nezumi felt he was at a stage where he could go where he wanted to. If Nezumi was gone for longer than a week, he dropped Sion off at Wolf Whisperer’s place. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Sion by himself, but the Gardener got lonely very easily.

One thing that didn’t change much was Sion’s curiosity. Even after he had been out for years, he couldn’t help but still want to investigate anything new. This happened a lot whenever Nezumi bought back something he stole and Sion couldn’t help trying to touch it. Sion was also curious about the people he met. He was overly chatting, though better at hiding his secrets. Sion got a lot of questions about his strange look. The official story was that he was created by the Thief God as an assistant. People had one of three reactions to this information. They could pity Sion for being bound to such a dangerous god. They could be indifferent but still interested in the idea of created creatures since it wasn’t common, or they could try to buy Sion from Nezumi. Even after living in the outside world for many years, there were still things that brought back Sion’s old excitement. These memories stayed in his mind and always brought him joy.

**Three of the most amazing memories according to Sion.**

  1. **The Snowy mountains of Khiomontes**



“Are you alright?” Nezumi eyed Sion who was curled in a ball shivering on his side of the seat.

“Fine.” Sion chattered. “Just cold.” The carriage swayed a little and Sion drew his legs close. Coldness didn’t exist in the garden and Sion was having trouble adjusting. “Where are we?”

“We’re at the base of Mt. Khiomontes” Nezumi crossed his legs, clearly not affected by the cold at all. “I have business with someone at the top.”

“Really?” Sion pulled back the curtains of the carriage and gasped. He had seen snow before. It sometimes snowed a little in the city Nezumi’s apartment was in. This however was on a completely different level. It covered everything, making it an endless sea of white. The carriage pulled to a stop and Nezumi opened his bag.

“We’re going to have to climb to the top. It’ll take most of the day, but we should get there by nightfall.” Nezumi pulled out some flat looking shoes and began tying them to his feet. Sion bounced up excitedly, his coldness forgotten, and flung open the door. He stepped out and instantly sunk beneath the snow.

“Sion?” Nezumi’s worried voice was muffled. Sion made a small sound and tried to move. He heard Nezumi swear and felt something pull him up. Sion blinked in the sudden light as he was yanked above the snow.

“This is why we wear snowshoes.” Nezumi helped Sion sit down on the coach’s steps and handed him a pair of flat shoes. Sion tied them to his feet and tentatively stood up. He gasped in excitement when he didn’t sink into the snow.

“Be careful next time,” Nezumi warned. “When you fell into the snow your hair blended perfectly with it. I couldn’t find you for a moment. Matter of fact.” Nezumi reached into his bag and pulled out a blue hat. “Wear this. It’ll keep you warm and help me find you if you fall again.” Sion put it on and smiled at Nezumi. This trip was going to be fun.

They spent the rest of the day climbing the mountain then slept in a hotel at the top. The next day Sion went exploring while Nezumi met with his contact. He spent hours wandering around the town and chatting with the locals. It was around late afternoon when Nezumi found him. Sion was in the middle of losing a snowball fight against some kids when Nezumi appeared. He grabbed Sion’s arm and dragged him away quickly.

“We have to go.” He muttered under his breath. Behind them, Sion heard angry voices.

“What happened?” Sion glanced back to see a large man with a knife marching their way.

“I’ll explain later.” Nezumi grabbed a long wooden thing with metal rungs off a nearby shed and placed it on the ground. “Get on.” Sion complied and Nezumi got on behind him.

“What are we going to do?”

“Have I told you about sledding before?” Nezumi glanced back at Sion who shook his head. A smile crossed the Thief God’s face. “You’re going to enjoy it.” Then he pushed off.

For a second Sion lost his breath as they plummeted through some bushes. Then suddenly they were bursting out into an open ocean of snow. It was exhilarating. Snow flew up on either side as they slid down the mountain. The cool wind brushed Sion’s face and pushed back his har. His stomach clenched as they went down a steep part and he gasped. The sounds of the bustling town had completely disappeared. Sion could hear nothing except the sound of the wooden thing against the snow. The silent white world glimmered as they passed. It seemed to be laughing without sound. Sion wanted to join in. He threw back his head and laughed. It echoed off the land and came bouncing back to him a hundred-fold. Behind him, he heard Nezumi chuckled quietly. Sion wished it would go on forever but eventually, they came to a stopped.

“We’re about a quarter way down.” Nezumi got up and brushed the snow off himself. “We’re going to need to walk the rest of the way down.”

“Can we keep it?” Sion looked down at the fun wooden thing.

“Sure.” Nezumi said, “But you’re in charge of taking it down.”

“Ok!” Sion picked it up and put it under his arm. “That was really fun. I can’t wait to do it again!”

  1. **The full-moon hunt**



It was another quiet day. Nezumi was of stealing a diamond from a secret organization and Sion was helping Wolf Whisperer with her shop. Today was not remarkably busy and Sion was taking the time to reorganize the shelves. Wolf Whisperer was lounging in her chair, with her eyes closed. Sion thought she might have fallen asleep when she suddenly spoke.

“Hey Sion, have you ever been on a hunt before?” she opened one eye to look at him.

Sion shook his head. He heard of hunting before from a book but hadn’t seen one in real life. Wolf Whisperer opened both her eyes and gave a toothy smile

“I think you’d enjoy it. Next month’s full moon there’s going to be a hunt with a handful of Wolf Guardians and their packs. You should join us.” She paused for a moment “The Thief God can come too if he wants.”

This lifted Sion’s mood for the rest of the day, and the next two days as well. When Nezumi finally returned Sion wasted no time telling him about the hunt.

“She invited you on a hunt?” Nezumi raised an eyebrow. “My, my she’s gotten quite fond of you.”

“Wolf Whisperer said you could come to.” Sion gave him puppy eyes. “You’ll come with me, right?” Nezumi looked away.

“I’ve never been to a full moon hunt before.” He finally admitted. “It could be interesting.”

On the next full moon, Sion and Nezumi found themselves sitting on the bad for a great grey wolf looking down a hill at a deep forest. They were surrounded on all sides by wolves of different shapes and colors. Sprinkled between the wolves were the Wolf Guardians. These creatures didn’t pay Sion and Nezumi any attention. They seemed to be engrossed in their preparations to care about the guests.

“We’re going to hunt a wild spirit.” Wolf Whisperer explained as she wandered over. “It’s a creature made out of light, so it’ll probably take the shape of different animals.”

Before Sion had time to replay all the wolves suddenly through back their heads and hollowed. Wolf Whisperer turned away from them.

“It’s starting.” She threw back her head and joined in. The sound vibrated through Sion’s being as he threw back his own head. When he was finished, he saw Nezumi smirking at him. Sion blushed and looked away

“Everyone else was doing it.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Nezumi laughed.

The howling stopped and they were off. The wolves charged together down the hill and then scattered as they hit the trees. The wolf Sion and Nezumi were on winded her way around the trees and jumped over boulders. After a little while, there was another howl to their left. The wolves charged in that direction. A few times during the hunt Sion saw Wolf Whisperer, her eyes gleaming in the moonlight before she disappeared again among the trees. It took a few hours before Nezumi or Sion spotted the wild spirit. It looked like a shining deer but as he watched, it turned into a bird, then a snake. It kept changing as it rushed through the undergrowth then it was gone from view again. Sion put his head against the wolf’s fur. He could feel the packs’ delight as another howl pierced the air. Sion knew this was something that most creatures did not get to witness. He felt pride swell in his chest. Wolf Whisperer had decided to share this with him and Nezumi. He knew he would never forget this.

In the end, another pack caught the spirit. By the time Sion’s and Nezumi’s wolf showed up, it was over. Sion didn’t remember much after that. He knew he had thanked Wolf Whisperer and Nezumi told him they should go home. His last memory was leaning against Nezumi and commenting on how tired he was, then waking up in his bed.

  1. **Human new years**



Every twelve years or so Nezumi brought Sion to the human realm to celebrate an event called New Year’s Eve. For the humans, it meant that their calendar was ending and another one was beginning. Nezumi explained that, for Gods, human celebrations sometimes gave them special powers. In one part of the human realm, every 12th year was the year of the Rat. Due to its title, Nezumi was able to receive extra power from it. It was one of the few times he received power from humans since he didn’t have any temples. Nezumi always made sure to go to the human realm during that time to celebrate with them. He started bringing Sion along making sure that Sion covered up before entering the human realm. Unlike immortals, Sion’s appearance would frighten them.

Although it became something they did quite regularly, Sion always remembered the first time he celebrated New Years'. Humans were so different than any other creature that Sion had seen before. He twisted his head left and right trying to take all of it in. Nezumi ended up bringing him to a small restaurant to help him settle down.

“This is good!” Sion took another bite of his meal and closed his eyes enjoying the taste.

“Slow down there you’re going to give yourself a stomachache.” Nezumi laughed. There was a pause then Nezumi said.

“Well, this is a surprise.” Sion opened his eyes and looked at Nezumi. He was staring at an older man who was eating a little way away. “So that’s where he’s hiding.”

“Do you know him?” Sion asked.

“He used to work for the Goddess of Fertility but got drunk and insulted her in front of her entire court. He disappeared soon after that.”

“Oh.” Sion stared at the man as well. “I didn’t know humans could work for God.”

“They can’t. He used to be a Divine Being.” Nezumi shrugged. “To escape the Goddess’s wrath, he’s suppressing his own memory and hid among humans.”

“But won’t he be caught since he can’t die?”

“Eventually his memory will return and then he will transform into a child to start over somewhere else.” Nezumi turned back to his meal. “Stupid thing to do really. Getting your memories back when you’re pretending to be a human is…very painful.”

“I see.” Sion felt bad for the man. It must have shown on his face because Nezumi put down his fork and took his hand.

“Come on let’s go somewhere else.”

Nezumi dragged Sion outside where there was a bustle of activity. They tried everything. They ate at stalls, enjoyed local dancing and festivities, and played sports and games. Despite the human world having time, time didn’t seem to exist at that moment. Sion was floating with Nezumi through a crowd of humans enjoying their lives. It felt like it could go on forever.

Finally, it was time for the human New Year to arrive. Nezumi and Sion counted down until they hit zero. A loud sound vibrated through the air and colorful lights lit up the sky with loud booms. Sion’s breath caught in his throat and tears pricked in his eyes. How could he be so lucky to be here with Nezumi, celebrating Nezumi’s year?

“Sion.” Nezumi’s soft voice cut through Sion’s thoughts. He turned to the Thief God. Nezumi gently wiped the tears from Sion’s eyes and leaned in to kiss him. It was the first time someone had ever kissed Sion. The sensation filled Sion with happiness. As they stood together in the busy streets, with lights exploding through the sky above and their lips pressed together, Sion knew this was a memory, he would carry in his heart forever.

\---

For Nezumi, life with Sion was the beginning of something new. He never put much stock into companionship. Yet living with Sion made life interesting. Somehow Sion could turn the ordinary into the unorderly. Even after he adjusted to living outside, Sion still found ways to surprise Nezumi. There were three times in particular that Nezumi was extremely surprised and amazed by Sion.

**Three times Sion was amazing according to Nezumi**

  1. **The Endless storm.**



The day was not going well. There had been another case of Epak in the city Nezumi and Sion were visiting. To make everything worse the Earth God was in charge of investigations this time. Nezumi and Sion were out shopping when they turned a corner and saw the Earth God and his men. Sion gasped loudly and the Earth God started to turn towards them. Nezumi grabbed Sion and ran. He didn’t know if the Earth God had seen them, but he didn’t want to hang around to find out. Dragging Sion along he rushed them to the Inn they were staying at. Once inside Nezumi tried to figure out what to do while Sion packed their belongings.

They had three options. The first was to try to make it out of the city gates and into the forest. Of course, if the Earth God had seen them, he would have the gates guarded. The same went for the second choice of trying to make it out of the sea. Nezumi closed his eyes. There was one other choice left, they would have to go through the endless storm. Nezumi was not looking forward to it.

“Alright, I’m ready.” Sion handed Nezumi his bag. “Let’s go.”

They slunk through the city, keeping an eye out for the Earth God’s men. Usually, it would be easy for Nezumi to escape but with Sion, in tow, it took a while. Finally, they arrived at the north side of the city. Here there were no gates, instead, there was a wall of clouds and rain. The Endless storm was a cursed ground where water demons and air sprits fought. The storm raged wildly, and it was too dangerous to travel in. Even Nezumi only used it once before.

As they entered the storm Nezumi pulled his hood up tighter as the cold water fell on him. This would be a long three days. He turned to Sion to see how he was doing and froze. Sion was standing in the storm his arms wide open, hood down. His red eyes gleamed in a way Nezumi had never seen before. Then the Gardener twisted his body and started dancing. Sion had explained that Gardeners loved dancing in the rain, but this was the first time Nezumi had seen it. It wasn’t like any dance he had seen before. There didn’t seem to be any rules or patterns, just a wild and furious battle. As Nezumi walked Sion danced next to him. He danced as if he was the storm itself. He danced as if he was fighting the storm. While Nezumi stopped to set up camp Sion danced. While Nezumi slept Sion danced. When he woke up the next morning Sion was still dancing. The dance took Nezumi’s attention off the rain. He didn’t feel the cold or wetness of the storm. The storm wasn’t pouring around them, no Sion was the storm. His eyes flashed like lightning; his feet hit the ground like thunder. His arms moved like the howling wind, his body like the pouring rain. It captured Nezumi’s mind and soul. It was watching beauty at its finest. It was his little dancing storm.

This continued for two days. When they got to the edge where the rain stopped, Sion gave a satisfied sigh and sunk to the ground. He swayed a little exhaustedly.

“I never danced for so long in the rain before.” He smiled weakly up at Nezumi. “I feel so tired.” His arms body gave out and he fell over.

“You were going at it for two days.” Nezumi helped Sion back to a sitting position. Sion’s eyes widened in shock.

“Two days?!” Sion looked down at his trembling body. “That explains a lot.” Nezumi wrapped Sion in a blanket and set up their tent. Once done, he held Sion inside.

“Sleep now.” He gently ran his hand through Sion’s hair. Sion nodded and curled up next to Nezumi. Nezumi knew he should get dinner ready, but he just wanted to stay there with Sion. He closed his eyes and let the memories of Sion’s storm run through his mind as he drifted off.

  1. **Sion gets drunk and wins a poetry contest against a dragon**



Nezumi would always remember the first time Sion got drunk. It was during a feast with a Water-Dragon. The Water Dragon had hired Nezumi to steal the priceless pearl. Once Nezumi retrieved the item, he and Sion were invited to dinner. It was a pleasant affair, with dancers and music playing in the background. The food was delicious and unique to this land. After dinner, the servants brought out sake.

“What’s this?” Sion sniffed his cup experimentally.

“It’s sake”

Sion took a sip and made a face. Nezumi tried to not laugh. It wouldn’t do to laugh at a dragon’s table. Dragons were very serious creatures.

“You don’t need to drink it if you don’t want to.”

Sion looked around the table. “But everyone else is. Wouldn’t it be rude of me not to?” Before Nezumi could respond the Water Dragon spoke.

“Thief God, how are you enjoying the feast?”

“It’s as magnificent as your company.” Nezumi toasted the dragon before taking a sip of his sake.

“It tastes like dirt,” Sion muttered next to him. The Water dragon’s eyes flashed in his direction.

“What did you say?”

Sion slammed down his fork. “I said it tasted like dirt.” He swayed a little “Do you have a problem with that?”

Nezumi put down his cup and grabbed Sion’s arm. Sion turned to him his cheeks red and eyes unfocused. Nezumi, having a bad feeling, glanced down at Sion’s glass. He It was empty. Nezumi’s eyes moved back to Sion. Was Sion drunk already? The cup wasn’t that big. Of course, now he thought about it he didn’t know how much alcohol Gardeners could take.

“It seems that my companion is not feeling well.” Nezumi stood up. “I think it would be best for us to retire.”

“Not yet.” Sion hiccuped and threw off Nezumi’s arm. “I’m not done.” He glanced around the room and pointed to a hanging scroll of the Water Dragon’s poetry. “I was reading that. It’s lame.” The Dagon snarled menacingly.

“What does a creature like you know about poetry.” There was something dangerous in the Water Dragon’s tone.

Nezumi suppressed a sigh and reached for his knife. If Sion continued they would have to fight their way out.

“ I could do better.” Nezumi started at Sion’s flushed checks and cocky grin. The Water Dragon gave a cold laughed.

“Very well, _wow_ us with your poetry. We’re all waiting.” Around the table, the other court members and guests waited anxiously. Sion staggered to his feet and turned towards them. He took a deep breath.

“Oh, a Summer’s day…”

Nezumi had no idea where it came from. The last time he checked Sion couldn’t write poetry even if his life was on the line, but here he was now, spouting it out like the Goddess of Poetry herself. Nezumi guessed it was a mixture of how drunk he was and all the poetry that he read. Nezumi had recited poetry for him many times. Sion loved the sound of it and always tried to memories them. Sion held the court’s attention for all five poems and 25 verses before he finally keeled over and fell asleep.

After that, the Water Dragon forbid Nezumi and Sion from returning, though he did pay for the pearl. Sion never truly learned what happened that day at the feast. Nezumi just told him he got drunk and they were banished. It didn’t bother Nezumi much. He could return if he really wanted to. It was worth being on bad terms with the Water Dragon to hear Sion’s perfect poetry. If Nezumi had any regrets, it was not writing it down. He knew Sion would never be able to recite poetry like that again. His second time drunk proved that. This time after Sion downed a bottle, he tried to swan dive from the second floor of a building to a water fountain below. After that Nezumi swore never to let Sion drink again.

  1. **Sion’s mini Garden of Paradise**



It took time for Nezumi to notice that Sion would disappear once and a while. It wasn’t like Sion didn’t already go where he wanted to but Nezumi usually knew the places he hung around. One day however he realized there were gaps were Sion would disappear for hours before reappearing. He wasn’t in his usual places. Finally, Nezumi asked him about it.

“It’s kind of embarrassing.” Sion looked down at the plate he was washing. “If I tell you, you’d probably laugh at me.”

“Sion, I’ve known you since you thought recognizing numbers was an impressive skill.” Nezumi took the plate and dried it. “Unless it’s that stupid, I promise to not laugh at you.”

Sion hesitated for a second longer before sighing. “Alright, I’ll show you tomorrow.”

Sion took Nezumi out the next day. They walked from the apartment down the main street then turned down a series of side streets toward the outskirts of the city. Nezumi was a little on edge. He didn’t go this way very often, so he didn’t know what to expect. As they reached the outskirts, Nezumi saw a group of trees ahead. When they got closer, he realized it was a garden.

Nezumi paused in surprise. It looked startlingly similar to the Garden of Paradise. The biggest difference was that there were more than just fruit trees. Plants of all different shapes and sizes grew neatly along dirt paths. Nezumi even saw a small bridge over a lake in the distance. Children were playing in the trees and a young couple was walking down the path. There was even an old man snoozing in the shade of a large bush. Nezumi hadn’t been down this way in a while, but he _knew_ this was not here the last time he passed through. Sion walked a little ahead and turned to face Nezumi.

“And there you have it. This is my secret.” He watched Nezumi anxiously.

“How did you find this place?”

Sion tilted his head. “Find it? I made it myself. I grew all the plants here.” He looked away shyly. “It reminds me of…home. I miss it sometimes….I love gardening and planting. It’s what I was made to do. I love my garden’s tranquility and peacefulness…just not enough to give up my freedom.” He peaked at Nezumi. “I know it’s stupid but that’s how I feel.”

“That….” Nezumi couldn’t put into words how he felt. Sion had grown an entire mini garden by himself. Nezumi never really put much thought into Sion’s gardening ability. Now however he saw the extent that one Gardener could do in the outside world. A child ran past them yelling in delight as his mother chased him. It was funny to think all these creatures had no idea they were in a semi replica of the forbidden garden. They only knew it was a nice place to relax.

“You never stop surprising me.” Nezumi finally said. “This garden is amazing.” He looked Sion in the eyes. “Thank you for showing me.” Sion’s cheeks flushed.

“I can show you around if you want me to.” He mumbled. Nezumi took his hand.

“I would love that.”

_ _ _

_Life is infinite for immortals. Days, months, and years have very little meaning. Time moves in a circle, never running out. Yet sometimes, even immortal’s lives are a line with a defined ending. And eventually, whether they know or not. That time will run out._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for now. Next chapter we'll go back to the normal plot. If you feel like it leaves a review or kudo. They make my day so much brighter.


	9. A Horrible Discovery/ The Task

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sion learns something important/ Sion makes a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I wanted to post yesterday but I've been down all week so it took me longer then I wanted it to. Anyways here's the next chapter. It's longer than usual and I'm not too happy how it turned out. There also might be more mistakes. If you see any, feel free to point them out.   
> Anyways on to the story1

Sion poured over his notes as he reviewed his past self’s memories. It was a frustrating task. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t find a way to use the memories against the Thief God. He went through all that pain for nothing. Sion sighed and leaned back in his chair. It had taken almost a week for his fever to subside. A whole week where he was stuck in bed knowing that the Thief God could be targeting his loved ones to get to him. The only thing that kept his from panicking was the thought that once he was better, he would be able to use his memories to set up a trap. Now however he found that his work was in vain.

Sion shook his head and straightened up. This was no time to fall into despair. He would find a use for these memories no matter what. Maybe he could get some information from them that would help him identify the Thief God.

“Ok, let’s review, one more time.” Sion muttered to himself flipping back through his notes. “My past-self met the Thief God, was enamored by him, then realized he was evil. By then it was too late, and the Thief God decided he wanted him. My past self was kidnapped and taken away from the garden” Sion rubbed his head. He felt like there was one more memory he was missing, but he couldn’t remember anything about it. He didn’t write it down so there was no point in trying to recall it. If he tried to remember it he was afraid the horrible headaches would return.

Sion shivered at the memories. Other than just hurting the headaches made it impossible to move an inch. Every time he ate or shifted in bed they worsened. If he fell asleep the pain followed him into his dreams. He barely remembered anything that happened last week. It was all just a haze of pain and confusion. He thought that Nezumi had been there though. He remembered someone spooning food into his mouth and placing a wet cloth on his forehead. Sion felt a twinge of guilt. Nezumi must have stayed home from work to take care of him. Sion hated feeling helpless.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed” Sion jumped a little and spun around in his chair. Nezumi was leaning on the doorframe arms crossed. Sion had been so deep in thought he didn’t hear his boyfriend enter.

“Where you at work?” Sion glanced at the clock. “If so you’re home early.”

Nezumi eyed him. “I was worried that I would return home to find you collapse on the floor again. I decided to leave early.”

“I feel fine now.” Sion insisted. “When I woke up this morning the fever was gone, along with the headaches.”

“Hmm.” Nezumi made an unconvinced sound as he uncrossed his arm and sauntered across the room. He put his hand on Sion’s forehead. “You do feel better, but I think you should stay in bed for a while longer. Work can wait until then.”

“But this is important!” Sion protested. “I need to get this done or….well…” he quickly changed the topic. “Anyways how did you get off work early? Your play is only a couple of weeks from now. As the lead I expected them to keep you there until seven at least. Last time they kept you until almost nine.”

“True but you are assuming I am the lead.” Nezumi pulled his hand away from Sino’s forehead and leaned against the wall.

“You did get the lead.” Sion frowned. “I remember you telling me last month.”

“I lost my role when I took a week off to take care of you. Now I’m just playing a minor role.”

Sion’s guilty feeling intensified. “Sorry.” He muttered looking away.

“No need to apologizes. Another play will come, and I’ll get the lead then.” Nezumi smirked. “But if you feel bad about it, why don’t you do me the favor and take over the household chores for a week.”

“Now you’re just trying to take advantage of me. But fine. I’ll do it.” Nezumi cocked his head thoughtfully at Sion.

“I was joking but you really are feeling guilty about it.” He wrapped his arms around Sion and buried his face in his hair. “Instead of doing the chores, why don’t you stop overworking yourself into exhaustion.” Sion pressed into his boyfriend closing his eyes.

“Sorry. I’ll be careful next time.”

Nezumi made a humming sound and pulled away. Sion opened his eyes already missing his boyfriend’s warmth. As Nezumi straightened up his eyes fell on Sion’s journal.

“So this is the work that was so important huh?” Before Sion could move, he swooped down and picked it up. His smirked faded as he read it, his expression hardening.

“Nezumi give that back.” Sion snatched the journal away. Nezumi let it go easily, his eyes glazed and concerned.

“Sion.” His voice was barely over a whisper. “You didn’t tell me the dreams had gotten that bad.” He stepped forward and took Sion’s shoulder. “How much more did you see? When did the dreams become this vivid?” He swore and let go of Sion. “Why would you write it down? That could make it worse.” He started pacing agitatedly. “Damn it Sion I’m trying to help you suppress these. Stop making everything harder.” Sion watched Nezumi, a cold feeling tingling down his spine.

“I never said these were from my dream. How did you know?” Sion knew he wouldn’t like the answer.

“Because I’ve seen the same thing in my own dreams.” Nezumi flopped down on the bed. Sion shakily dropped the journal on his desk trying not to think. Thinking would lead him to realize that there was no way for Nezumi to have the same kind of dreams as him. These weren’t dreams, after all, they were memories. If Nezumi had them that would mean he shared the same memories as Sion. Without wanting it, his mind came to a conclusion. If they had the same memories….

Then Nezumi was the Thief God.

Sion took a deep shaky breath, fighting his rising fears. He wanted more than anything for it not to be true. He did not want his boyfriend to be the Thief God.

“Nezumi.” He whispered. “What do you mean you’ve had the same dreams as me. I don’t understand.” He wanted Nezumi to lie. He wanted Nezumi to tell Sion anything. At that moment Sion would believe any lie Nezumi gave him. Nezumi looked up and his expression scared Sion to his very core.

“Sion do you remember that myth about the Gardener and the Thief God… that myth is…true. I didn’t want to tell you because you might get hurt. You are the reincarnation of the Gardner and I am.” He swallowed. “The reincarnation of the Thief God.”

With those words Sion’s entire world fell apart, shattering to into pieces at his feet. He backed up and ran from the room. He didn’t know why he was running, but he wanted to get away from it all. He needed to think it over, to understand what just happened. As he charged through the darkness tears started stinging his face. He didn’t even know when he had started crying. Sion soon arrived at his mother’s bakery. She was still at the hospital, so he had the place to himself. He clumsily unlocked the front door with the spare key and went inside. Once the door was closed and locked, he sank to the ground and brought up his knees. There he let sat crying. Nezumi, who did so much for him, whom he loved so much, was the man who had killed him in their past life. If he got his memories back would he really turn on Sion? He couldn’t picture it. Sion buried his face in his arms and sobbed loudly. Everything was falling apart, and there was nothing he could do about it. 

_A long time ago in a world forgotten by all…._

Sion was feeling extremely homesick. It started a couple of years after Sion had moved in with Nezumi. At first Sion was able to control the homesickness. If he felt sad, he would try to keep himself busy. He talked with Nezumi or Wolf Whisperer. He even made a mini Garden of Paradise and went there whenever he felt the world was too big to handle. This worked for a very long time and after a while the homesickness started to go away. Sion would spend months and even years not thinking about the garden. He had thought he had overcome it.

He was wrong. Eventually, the homesickness returned stronger than ever. Sion started to notice his methods weren’t as effective anymore. He missed the Garden. He missed the smell of the trees and sacred fruit. He missed talking to Marigold and the other Gardeners. When it finally became too much, he confronted Nezumi.

“I think I want to go back to the Garden of Paradise.”

Nezumi looked up from the book he was reading and stared at Sion with his eyebrows raised.

“Just to visit.” Sion amended quickly. “I….I really miss it…more then I thought I would.” Nezumi’s face relaxed and he put down the book.

“Do you think that’s possible anymore?” he asked. “It was a challenge getting you out. The Earth God will have upped security since you’ve left.” Sion looked away. He could feel Nezumi’s eyes on him. He knew he was asking the impossible, but he didn’t know what else to do. After a few seconds, Nezumi let out a slow breath and muttered.

“I’ll look into it.” Then he went back to his book.

Sion thought Nezumi had forgotten about his request or at least was pretending to have forgotten. It took almost a half a year before he brought it up again. They were in the living room again reading when Nezumi suddenly asked,

“Do you still want to visit the garden?”

“Yes,” Sion said startled. Nezumi sighed and put down his book.

“Alright. I checked out the garden and they have blocked all passageways in and out, even the one we used.” Nezumi folded his arms. “It seems like the Earth God is afraid I will break in again and steal another Gardener.

“Oh,” Sion said softly. He should have guessed it was impossible. He felt stupid getting his hopes up.

“However, there’s still a way.” Nezumi continued and Sion perked up again. “Next week the Goddess of Wine is visiting the garden. She will bring 12 assistance with her. Since they will be heavily veiled, your best chance is to get in with her. You can see the garden and then leave the next day.”

“Won’t she notice if there’s an extra assistant with her?” Sion asked.

“There won’t be.” Nezumi stood up and went to the closet. Opening it, Sion saw an man lying crumpled on the ground.

Sion’s blood went cold. “Nezumi, what did you do?”

“Relax he’s only asleep. I made sure he’d sleep for a while. You just need to take his place. Don’t worry about once he wakes up. He’ll be to ashamed to admit he missed assisting his Goddess and will assume she replaced him.” Nezumi closed the door. “In the meantime we need to plan this out. You’ll need to know how to dress correctly, how to act correctly, and what to say and what not say.”

“Aren’t you coming too?” Sion asked alarmed.

“I can’t. The Wine Goddess would be able to sense my presents. If I hid my presents then she would find it weird that she couldn’t sense one of her assistants.”

“I see,” Sion said nervously. Nezumi gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You’ll be fine. As long as you stick to the plan nothing bad should happen.”

Over the next week Sion learned how walk on the heavy garments, bow the correct way, and complete his role without raising suspicions. It was difficult, but Sion did his best. The night before he took the assistant’s place, Nezumi finally told him he was ready. Sion could barely sleep that night. He was both excited and terrified. If he messed this up, he could be stuck forever. Even so he didn’t want to back out. The next morning Nezumi dropped him off right outside the Goddess of Wine’s temple.

“Good luck.” He whispered, “And remember to keep this with you.” Nezumi slipped the crystal in Sion’s bag and then melted into the shadows. Sion watched him go before turning and matching to the gate.

Both the morning and afternoon went smoothly. No one suspected Sion and he was able to enter the Garden of Paradise without a problem. Once the Goddess and her assistants met with the Earth God, the assistants were each assigned a room. Sion went to his room and settled into his bed. It was nice to be back. He looked out the window at his garden and suddenly a desire to look around overcame him. He tried to fight it down. He knew it was dangerous. He couldn’t leave this room. As he continued to sit there fighting his urges, he realized that if he didn’t go now, the homesickness would not go away. He left so fast last time that he didn’t get to say a proper goodbye to the place. This was his entire existence until Nezumi showed up. He couldn’t just discard it.

_“I can do this.”_ he thought straightening up. _“I’ve broken in places with Nezumi before. I know how to be sneaky.”_ As long as he avoided the other Gardeners it shouldn’t be a problem since neither the Scholars nor Guards could tell the Gardeners apart.

Sion checked if the room’s door was locked then changed his clothes. He reached into his bag and pulled out his old tunic. Sion carried around as a keepsake. Now he slipped it back over his head. It was airier than he remembered it to be and smelled of dirt. He shifted around trying to get comfortable. He much preferred pants. Once he was ready, he slipped out the window and strolled down the path. He knew Nezumi wouldn’t approve but instead of feeling anxious, he felt light and happy. Maybe it was because he was a created creature, but this place drew him, bound him, in a way he couldn’t understand.

It was strange walking around the large trees that used to be so familiar to him. Now that he had been in the outside world for so long, he found the garden a strange place. Peacefulness and tranquility seemed to hang in the air. There was no violence, not locked doors or fear here. It was paradise. Everything was greener than he remembers and the fruit more delicious. Sion didn’t realize how much he missed it until he took the first bite. Closing his eye he let the familiar taste fill his mouth.

“Sion?” a soft voice said from behind him. Sion opened his eyes in fear and spun around, dropping the fruit. Behind him stood a familiar figure.

“Marigold.” He gasped. Marigold took one look at him before rushing forward and engulfing him in a tight hug.

“Sion.” She practically sobbed. “We thought you were dead. The Earth God said the Thief God stole you away.”

“He did.” Sion hugged her back. “But it’s ok. He’s really nice. The outside world is an amazing place.” She pulled away looking confused.

“What do you mean? He took you away. Wasn’t that horrible?”

“No!” Sion shook his head. “He only stole me away because I wanted to go! We were meeting up in secret for a long time.” Marigold’s eyebrows knitted together but before she could say anything two more Gardeners suddenly came around the corner. They froze when they saw Sion. 

“Sion!”

“You’re alive!”

They dropped their baskets of fruit and rushed to him. Sion found himself being hugged on all sides. He allowed himself to enjoy the presents of the other Gardeners for a second longer before pulling away. As happy he was to see them again, he knew that this was not a good situation. He needed to go back to his room. This had been a mistake. His earlier urges to explore were gone leaving only anxiety and fear behind.

“I need to go.” He took a step back. “Listen please don’t tell anyone I’m here. Ok? I just came back to visit.” At his words the others fell in stunned silence.

“Why?” Sunflower asked his big eyes brimming with confusion “Why do you need to leave?”

“Because I can’t stay here.”

“Why?” Marigold grabbed his arm. “This is your home!”

“I-“

“Sion?” All the Gardeners turned to see Tulip standing a few feet away. Tulip was the first Gardener to be created, and all the other Gardeners listened to her.

“You’re back.” Her voice was gentle and soft.

“I can’t stay.” Sion pleaded pulling free of Marigold. He was regretting everything. Tulip observed him for a moment.

“I see, if you need to leave then so be it, but at least stay and eat dinner with us. We’ve missed you.” Sion opened his mouth to decline but the other Gardeners were already pushing him down the path. He couldn’t break free. Sion tried to stammer some protests as they dragged him away but found he didn’t know how to explain himself.

The Gardeners all chatted happily as they sat together in the clearing eating fruit. Sion was not enjoying himself at all. He was on edge and jumped at every little movement. The clearing was too open and there were to many Gardeners present. Sion once again wished that Nezumi had come with him. The Garden felt too familiar, too safe and that’s what tripped him. If Nezumi had come, he would have talked sense into Sion. By himself, his instincts kicked in and made him careless.

As he took another fruit, a new handful of Gardeners joined the meal. They greeted Sion enthusiastically and Sion forced a smile his panic rising. How many more were going to show up? The more Gardeners who knew he was here, the more chance of him getting caught. What if one of them mistakenly said something to a Guard or the Earth God? Sion knew that the garden held next to no secrets. Usually, unless the Earth God himself told them to withhold information, they would say whatever they pleased.

“Sion.” Marigold handed him a cup of water. “You look nervous.”

“Sorry. I just am a little worried.” Sion smiled weakly taking the cup “I’m probably going to leave in a few minutes ok? I really do need to go.” Marigold frowned a little.

“I don’t understand why.”

“It’s hard to explain.” Sion took a sip from his cup. Instantly he knew something was wrong. The water tasted strangely bitter. The second he had swallowed he felt stiff and heavy. Around him, everyone had fallen silent. Sion clumsily turned to Marigold to ask what happened but found he couldn’t speak.

“I’ll get him.” Dandelion said softly. He stood and patted away. Sion watched him go, his heart pounding. None of the others were making eye contact with him. If they were hiding something, then that could only mean one thing. The Earth God told them to hold their tongue.

“I’m sorry.” Marigold's eyes were glazed with tears. Sion tried to speak again but no sound came out. In the distance, Sion could hear footsteps approaching. After a few seconds, Dandelion returned followed by the Earth God. He stood there in front of Sion in all his magnificence.

“Welcome back my little Gardener.” His voice boomed as he bent down next to him. “You gave us quite a scare.” He touched Sion’s shoulder gentle and a thrill of happiness ran up Sion’s arm. He tried to shove it down. It was unfair that his body reacted positively to his creator, especially with how scared he was to see him.

“I saw you once before, in the outside world” The Earth God continued. “I was relieved, for I was uncertain if the Thief God planned to spare you.” He smiled down at him. “As long as you were alive, I knew you would seek your home. It is in your nature. You know where you truly belong.” Sion felt a jolt of shock through his body. So he was created to long for the garden. He felt so foolish thinking it was his own desire to see his home. He had acted just like the Earth God had created him to act.

The Earth God removed his hand from Sion’s shoulder and picked up his wrist, surveying the bracelet on it. “Ah, I see. This is why we could not locate you. The Gardeners tried so hard to seek you after you vanished, but they could not sense you at all. They have been quite upset.” He glanced around the clearing at the others before turning back to Sion.

“I was also upset, for I knew the Thief God could not have stolen you if you did not cooperate.” Some of the warmth left his voice. “The Thief God is cunning. He twisted your mind against me. He filled you with lies and falsehoods.”

Sion shook his head and the Earth God sighed sadly “Even now you are deep in his grasp. I knew you could not completely return without assistance. That is why I commanded the Gardeners to report to me when you returned and to occupied you until I arrive. I warned them not to share this with you, for then you would try to escape.” Sion turned his gaze to the other Gardeners. They were huddled together looking away from him. The Earth God let of Sion and picked up his bag.

“Interesting.” He pulled out the crystal. “I am impressed. The Thief God is a clever one. So this is how he stole you from me?” He put it back in the bag. “I will destroy it after you return home for the final time. Before then, however, I have a task for you.” His eyes held sympathy. “I know it will be a challenge, but you must persevere and completed it before you can truly be free.” He raised his voice and the sympathy was gone.

“Sion the Gardener, I give you this command.” A chill ran through Sion’s body starting at his neck and rushing to his fingers and toe. “Kill the Thief God.”

Something within Sion snapped. Instantly a horrible tingling rushed through his veins filling him with fire. He gasped and found he could move again. As he moved his arm, he noticed that something was wrong. The liquid that flowed throughout him felt hot and angry. He could feel it grinding and tearing at him. At that moment Sion knew that if he didn’t act, it would tear him apart from the inside. His body itched to complete its task in order to escape the pain that was waiting for it.

“Epak.” Sion said horsey. “You gave me Epak.” He stared in horror at the Earth God. “That’s illegal.”

“The Thief God did not give me much choice.” The Earth God gently cupped Sion’s cheek. “I am doing this for _you_ little one. I knew you would be hesitant in killing the Thief God. He has a strong hold on you. This is the only way. You should be grateful. It was difficult to obtain. I whisked some away during the last raid I attended.” The Earth God stepped away from Sion and turned to one of the Gardeners who was holding a small knife holder. He picked up and surveyed it.

“But why kill him.” Sion’s voice trembled, “You have me back. Isn’t that what you want?”

The Earth God laughed coldly as he slipped the knife holder into Sion’s bag. “He stole my sacred fruit. Then he committed the greatest crime and stole you. I will no longer tolerate him stealing what my hands have created. I will not have him steal what is _mine_.”

“I’m not yours.” Sion spat. The Gardeners’ gasped in shock. In the past, he would have been horrified by his words. Now however he knew it was true. The Earth God pulled himself up to his full height, eyes blazing with fury.

“I created you.” The Earth God boomed pointing a threatening finger at him. “I gathered plants and dirt and gave you life! I own you! I decide your fate! I have always been charitable to my Gardeners. I gave you this garden to work and live in. I kept you away from the terror of the outside world. How dare you suggest that you do not belong to me. Perhaps you believe you belong to The Thief God?”

“I don’t” Sion yelled jumped to his feet. He was not going to back down. “I don’t belong to Nezumi.” His eyes were aflame with anger. “I belong _with_ Nezumi.” The Earth God’s face darkened.

“The damage he inflicted on you is greater than I feared. He has poisoned your mind beyond what I thought capable.” The Earth God relaxed a little his eyes turning pitying. “I understand that you are confused. You cannot see the truth through the lies he planted in your mind. It is not your fault; I will overlook your transgressions. The Thief God did terrible things to you. Once you are fixed you will see and understand. Then you will be able to be free.”

Sion looked into the face of the God he always thought highly of and realized he was not going to listen. He didn’t care at all what Sion said. He was going to do what he wanted to do.

The Earth God reached down and removed Sion’s bracelet.

“When you finish the deed, we will be able to locate you as long as you are not wearing this.” He turned to Marigold and handed her the bracelet “Guild Sion to the front gate so he may complete his task. Afterwards, store this bracelet in my treasure.” Marigold bowed and took the bracelet. Then she grabbed Sion’s hand and led him away. Sion’s body willfully obeyed her.

As they walked through the clearing many Gardeners muttered their apologies. Sion ignored them. He hated everything about the garden. He stewed in that anger as they traveled down the path. Finally, he couldn’t; take it anymore.

“How could you do this.”

“I don’t understand what you mean. Our master told us to.”

Sion gave a frustrated sigh. Of course it wasn’t a choice for her. He had almost forgotten what it was like to be owned. He forgot that Marigold and the others had no autonomy over their own lives.

Marigold picked up on his irritation. “Stop acting so angry.” She glared back at him. “Did you think you’re the only one who was curious about the outside word? We all wondered about it, but we knew it was foolish and dangerous to try anything. We learned to shut the curiosity out of our hearts.” Her voice raised in anger. “You’ve always been too curious. We told you that. Now that your curiosity led you into trouble, you’re angry at _us_? If you had shut it down in the first place you wouldn’t be suffering.” She glanced away from him, her hand tightening on his wrist.

“I know you were happy here once. I know you loved this place as much as the rest of us...If it wasn’t for the Thief God’s medaling, you’d still be happy.”

“You don’t understand anything,” Sion said through clenched teeth. He knew there was no point in trying to explain it to her. Explaining to her, something like independence or making your own choices would be too foreign of a concept. Marigold shot him another look which he ignored.

Truth be told if he was angrier at himself then her. Everything he did here had been a mistake. He shouldn’t have come back in the first place. His carelessness what going to lead him to kill Nezumi.

Kill Nezumi….

The reality hit him hard, and he stopped. Marigold turned confused. Sion stood there, his mind reeling. He was going to kill Nezumi. He was going to find the man he loved and slaughter him. Nezumi was going to die. He was going to stop moving forever and rot away. He was going to disappear from this word by Sion’s own hands. Panic swelled inside Sion and he grabbed Marigold’s shoulder.

“Please, Marigold, don’t let me do it.” He begged. “Keep me here. Don’t make me kill him. Please. I’m begging you. Not him. Not Nezumi. I can’t do it.”

“But I thought you had to.” Marigold pulled away alarmed. “That drink we gave you forced you to kill him, right?”

“The thing you gave me, was the same thing that was given to that assistant who attacked the Earth God. That’s why he tried to kill him. When he couldn’t finish the job he died.” Marigold stared at Sion in disbelief.

“That can’t be true.” She whispered. “Our master would never give you something like that. We are his created ones. He provides for us and we serve him joyfully. He wouldn’t hurt us….”

“Marigold if I don’t complete my task I will die like that man. The Earth God doesn’t care.”

“No.” Marigold put her hands over her mouth horrified. “He wouldn’t. He didn’t….” Her eyes widened. “I gave that to you…” She sank to her knees. Sion knew she was reliving the horrors of the last time Epak was used in the garden. She was probably hearing the assistant’s painful cries and remembering his violence. She pulled her arms close to her chest and Sion knew her reality was falling apart. The Garden was safe; the outside was not. Now she saw that the Earth God could be as cruel. She saw how he could use something terrible against his own creations if they disobeyed him

Sion jumped on this change. “You don’t need to follow his directions.” He grabbed her hands. “Let me stay here so I don’t kill Nezumi.”

“But won’t you die.” She looked up at him.

“It’s my fault this is happening. I can’t let Nezumi pay for my stupidity.”

Marigold gulped. “I can’t let you die. I can’t bear the thought of you looking like the assistant.” She staggered back to her feet and took his hand again. Any remaining hope in Sion’s heart crumbled as tears filled his eyes. He stumbled forward after her, not bothering to wipe them away. After another minute or so they came to the gate.

“Sion.” Marigold turned to him. “I will not let you die.” She let go of his hand and reached into her pocket. “But…” she hesitated. “If you are in danger by staying here.” All the color had left her face. “then” she trembled a little then flung Sion’s bracelet back at him. “Take this.” she turned away shivering. Sion picked it up.

“That isn’t what I want.” He told her unhappily. “I want to stay here. If I leave, I’m going to kill Nezumi.”

“I don’t care about the Thief God.” She yelled. “I care about you. Leave and don’t come back. I’m going to pretend I never heard what you told me. It’ll be easier that way. I haven’t been tainted by the outside…” she gave a small laugh. “It’s not like I could leave if I wanted to…” she shook her head angrily. “I don’t want to leave. The outside is dangerous. This is for the best. I’m safe here.” She looked back at him. “I won’t disobey the Earth God again. If you return, I will assist him in any way possible. If you don’t like that then don’t come back.” Her eyes filled with tears.

Sion opened his mouth to yell, to explain that wasn’t the point. He didn’t care about the Garden. He just wanted to save Nezumi. Nezumi had put everything on the line to bring him outside. Nezumi had taken him around despite his ignorance. Nezumi had taught him about the world even though he had nothing to gain. Nezumi had found a way back into the Garden when Sion said he was homesick. Nezumi did all of this and Sion was going to pay him back by stabbing him to death. 

Before he could get any words out, Marigold had hurried away. Behind him, the gates swung open. His feet turned and started forward. Sion struggled as he walked through the gate. If he kept walking, he would make it home by tomorrow afternoon. That meant in a little less then a day he would be stabbing Nezumi. Sion clenched his fists as his feet marched dutifully down the path towards his waiting boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both Sions are not happy right now. Hopefully, things will work out for them (or not). If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a Kudo/ comment. If you didn't like the chapter still feel free to leave a comment. If you had any thoughts (or just want to write nonsense) feel free to leave a comment.  
> Until next time!

**Author's Note:**

> And that's it for now. Thank you so much for reading it. Feel free to leave a Kudo or a review (or both if you're feeling extremely generous) I love the feedback. As a writer, it really makes my day.  
> Until next time.


End file.
